Everlasting Cloud
by curlyk03
Summary: COMPLETE! When Rory visits Richard in the hospital, she runs into someone she never thought she'd see again. Future Fic. Rating has been changed to M. TRORY.
1. Chapter One

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

Lala, my love, me beta, thank you for adding like a whole other paragraph since it needed it. :0) I'm flabbergasted at how much you improved this chapter. lol

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter One:

"Paris…goddamn it! _Stop_ pacing! You're driving me insane!" Rory yelled to her best friend.

"How can you tell me to stop!" Paris said as she continued to pace. "What if he doesn't show up! Wha… what if he screws me over!" She suddenly stops in mid-pace as if realizing something. "_Oh my god_! What if he died in a car accident!" Paris said worrying herself even more. Upon seeing Rory's face, she stopped ranting.

"Oh, Rory I'm sorry…I just—" she stammered as she realized what she just said.

"No, it's fine. I understand, you're over stressed." Rory said as she fought back the tears. Paris walked over and hugged her.

"Your grandfather will wake up Rory." She said still hugging her. Over the years, Paris had really mellowed out and had become a really warm and caring person.

Rory pulled back knowing this was not the time to be sad. "We'll see, but right now we need to focus on the wedding that will be taking place in less then an hour!" Rory said excitedly. Her excitement went away as she saw Paris' face still looking worried. Rory sighed and handed her a water bottle. "He'll be here, Paris. He loves you…and today you're getting _married_!" That cheered her up a little.

"I should be happy, having some drinks, and celebrating!" Rory nodded as Paris took a sip of water. "I'll kill him if he's late." She breathed.

"Now there's the Paris we all love." Rory said with a chuckle.

"Shut up Gilmore and zip me up. Why we haven't found _your_ soul mate is beyond me." Paris said playfully glaring at her.

"Boston just isn't packed with fine young men." Rory said in faux hopelessness.

"Uh huh, sure." Rory smiled at Paris as she zipped, snapped, pulled up, and buttoned her friend's wedding dress.

"There, now go look in the mirror and then it's time for makeup!" she said enthusiastically.

"Girls! We've arrived with the jewels!" They heard a female voice ring through the dressing room. Doyle's sister came into the room holding a bag. She handed them each a box. When Paris opened her box, they gasped at what was inside.

"_Wow_!" Paris breathed as Rory took it from her and buckled the clasp on the diamond necklace that matched with the diamond studs in her ears.

"That's gorgeous." Rory commented as she moved her hands away. Delaney smiled and motioned for Rory to open hers too. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the sapphire replica of Paris' set.

"And I've got Opal." Delaney said pointing to the jewelry she had already put on. Rory was Paris' maid of honor, while Delaney was the bride's maid. Both Rory and Delaney were wearing Lavender spaghetti strapped dresses that hugged the torso and then fanned out slightly towards the bottom. There was blue material that surrounded the waist and made a bow. It wasn't very Paris, but Rory and Delaney had both wanted it.

The two looked at Paris who was staring at herself in the mirror. She seemed to be making different faces, and posing differently.

"Paris, what the hell are you doing?" Delaney asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just making sure I know what I shouldn't do." she said as she continued to make faces at herself in the mirror.

"Paris, you look amazing! Stop staring at yourself!" Delaney admonished.

"You're right. I look damned good, and if he doesn't show up…"

"We won't think about that." Rory said smiling. Paris huffed and picked up her bouquet. Rory and Delaney smiled at each other and trailed after her carrying their matching blue bouquets. Doyle had indeed been there, so Paris' nervous breakdown was put to a stop. However, when it was her turn to walk down the aisle, her nerves came back. Rory and Delaney smiled at each other again and continued to watch Paris make her way down the aisle, closer and closer to them with each step. Rory let out a soft sigh and wondered when it would be her turn.

At the age of 26, she was working for the Boston Globe and was happy at the moment. She'd had her share of boyfriends, but none seemed to work out. Especially the last one, James Brady. Although he was a nice man and definitely not horrible to look at, he had his priorities mixed up. In the end, it was best that they split up. She didn't need another guy who had to "find himself". Not when she knew exactly what and where she wanted to be.

Even though her love life was non-existent at the time, she couldn't help but be happy for Paris. She was enjoying the wedding and basking in her friend's happiness. The reception followed shortly after the ceremony. The rest of the evening was a blur. Everyone was dancing. The live band Paris hired was wonderful. Everyone was having a great time. Champagne was flowing everywhere. The couple had had their first dance. The best man and maid of honor made their speeches. And now it was time for Paris to throw the bouquet. She turned around to see what soul would be married off next. When she caught sight of who it was, she couldn't help but smile. To say Rory was stunned was an understatement. Her eyes were glued, staring at her hands which held the white flower bouquet.

Paris walked over smirking, "Well, well…guess you _really_ _do_ have to find that soul mate of yours now."

Rory glared, "Haha, you're so funny." She said deadpanned. Paris wrapped her arm around her shoulders and kept smiling.

A member of the band interrupted them, "Umm…Excuse me Ladies and Gentleman. If a Miss Rory Gilmore is out there, there is a call for you at the front desk. I was told it's important." Rory looked confused but left the room anyway. Paris started after her and noticed that when she came back into the room, her head was down and she was shuffling somewhat. Paris walked over to her.

"What happened? Who was it?" She asked but gasped when she saw Rory's red eyes and tears falling across her cheeks.

"Rory?" she said, her voice full of concern.

"He…he's in a coma." She said weakly.

"Oh Rory." Paris said wrapping her arms around her.

"I have to go…no, I'm sorry." Rory said shaking her head. Paris pulled away.

"Sorry? Why?" she said looking confused.

"It's your wedding day. I shouldn't leave."

"I'll be fine, you should go. He means a lot to you."

"But—"

"No, Go! You should see him." Rory nodded and hugged Paris tightly then picked her bag up and ran out of the room as fast as she could. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks as she impatiently waited for the valet to bring her car around. She smiled weakly to the man, gave him a small tip and got into her car. She stepped on the gas, and peeled out of the parking lot towards the hospital, which was an hour away. About a half hour later, she heard a siren behind her.

"Shit." She whispered wiping away the tears. She suddenly pulled off the road and sat there, grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes. It was sunny out and she shielded her eyes towards the window.

"Ma'am, do you realize what you were doing wrong?" The officer asked leaning against her window, not looking at her.

"I'm sorry, but my grandfather is in the hospital and he's doing worse, and oh god, what if he dies? Oh god, I have to get to him! What if he dies and he doesn't know that I love him. Oh god…" Rory whimpered and leaned her head back in the seat, the tears falling more rapidly.

"Where are you headed?" the officer said taking a better look at her.

"Redding Hospital. Can you just give me a ticket so I can get to him." Rory said impatiently.

"I'll follow you there ma'am. Make sure you make it there safely, okay?"

"You're not going to give me a ticket?" she asked in shock.

"Not today. You seem really out of it, but just be aware next time." he offered kindly.

"Thank you." Rory breathed and restarted her car. She pulled back onto the road and saw the policeman was actually following her. She pulled into the hospital lot, and ran into the entrance.

"Richard Gilmore." She told the receptionist. The woman typed into her computer and nodded before handing Rory a badge.

"Fourth floor, west wing. When you get off the elevator make a left and follow that hall. Take it easy, honey." The woman said kindly. Rory nodded and ran towards the west wing elevators. When the elevator stopped Rory started to run again. She looked at the badge. No room number. She made her way to the desk.

"Hi, I'm here to see Richard Gilmore." She said softly.

"He can't have any visitors right now, but a doctor will speak to you if you'd like." the nurse said as she looked up at Rory.

"When can I see him?" Rory asked hurriedly.

"Well he's being examined, and I think they may run some tests, but I'll let you know." Rory nodded mutely.

"Is there a doctor I can talk to?" the woman nodded and stood up.

"Doctor Mason is right behind you." Rory nodded and walked over to him.

"Excuse me?" she said as she tapped on the man's shoulder.

"Yes?" he said turning around and looking at Rory.

"Would you be able to tell me about my grandfather, Richard Gilmore?" He looked surprised and nodded.

"Yes. Sure, come on, let's take a walk." As they walked down the corridor, the doctor began to speak. "I was expecting his daughter to be only a little older than you."

Rory shrugged, "She is. So what's going on?"

"He was in an accident."

"I know, but he's in a coma now?" she said impatiently.

"Yes. You see when there is sever injury to the brain, it can sometimes shut off—" he began to explain, but Rory cut him off.

"I know what a coma is. Don't treat me like a kid. If I wanted an explanation of everything I would have became a doctor." He nodded.

"Were you aware that Richard had a bit of a heart condition?" he asked warily.

"A bit?" she asked.

"Early stages." he nodded.

"A little, what does he have?" she asked cautiously, afraid of what she would hear next.

"The start of angina. We feel like it's contributing to his slow recovery." he said as they continued down the hall.

"You mean his reverse recovery? Isn't a coma a bad thing?" she asked stopping.

"We're doing everything we can. We have great doctors here, and they're going to try and make your grandfather better again." he tried to reassure her.

"I hate when people leave out the 'but'. I mean why not just say it?" she said sounding irritated.

He looked down, "_But_ your grandfather is an older man, as one gets older, the recovery rate lessens. In his mid 70's, we'll do the best we can, but he does have a history of heart attacks. Three previous ones."

"So you don't think he'll make it?" she said as her voice cracked.

He sighed and shook his head. "I honestly don't know." Rory nodded and bit her lip. She walked over to the nearby chair, and sat down ungracefully. She noticed she was still wearing her bridesmaids dress.

"Where's your mom?" he asked.

"I don't need a babysitter." She said bitterly.

"Of course, I was just wondering. She was here a few days ago, but I haven't really seen her around." he said in his defense.

"She and my father had to go up to Maine. They won't be back for another week." She said softly.

"Is there someone I can call for you? To make sure you're okay?" Rory thought about it. There was Paris, but she wasn't about to call her.

"No. It would take them a while to get here. I live in Boston." The doctor nodded.

"Well it was nice meeting you Rory. We'll be in touch." Rory nodded and let the tears continue to fall. She glanced up briefly and noticed that he was still standing there.

"What? Never saw a female cry before?" she said bitingly.

A bit taken aback by her response, he answered "No, it's just that…how did you get here so quick if you live in Boston?"

"I was at my friends wedding outside of Hartford." She said pointing to her dress. He nodded understandingly.

"Mason!" A voice called. The doctor turned around. She saw a blur of blonde hair.

"Yea?" the doctor said as he turned towards the voice.

"Richard Gilmore's scans are ready. You might wanna take a look at them." he nodded.

"Rory, I'll see you later. Hang in there." He said apologetically, before leaving. Rory took a deep breath before leaning her head back and shutting her tear filled eyes. All she could do now was wait.

**More soon. Please Review!**


	2. Chapter Two

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Lala, my love, my beta (lol), once again you are amazing! Have a GREAT trip, and I'll try and have a great chapter for you to look at. :0) Thanks again.

Chapter Two:

For the past three days, Rory had been in and out of the hospital. All they could tell her was what she already knew…He was doing worse. She'd seen Dr. Mason several times over the past few days and each time, he told her what he could. She was happy that he was at least being honest with her. Today had been no different. As soon as she woke up, she headed straight for the hospital. It was noon, and still they had nothing for her. She sat there and rubbed her tired eyes. She'd been there since 7am, which for a Gilmore was almost unheard of. If she could, she wouldn't leave the hospital, but the doctor made sure that the nurses made her go home and rest. After a few minutes, her stomach started to growl, and Dr. Mason walked by at that exact moment.

"Rory, why don't you go and get some lunch or something. We have your cell phone number in case there's any change." Dr. Mason said sitting next to her. It was quiet around the hospital, since most people were getting lunch, eating, or being fed.

Rory gave him a weak smile, "I'm not hungry."

Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, he argued "Of course you are. I've never seen you eat, and when you come in you're here for most of the day."

"I'm a quick eater." She said looking down.

After dealing with this young girl for the past few days, he knew how stubborn she could be. He decided on a different approach. "Well, that may be, but you're in a hospital. So I guess you don't have to worry. If you get hypoglycemia, we can always inject you with some kind of glucose." He then stood up and made as if to leave, to go about his normal duties.

Rory's eyes opened in horror, "Aren't you supposed to make me feel better, and not worse?"

He paused in mid-step and turned to her, "Technically yes, but if you don't eat, you should be more worried about yourself then your grandfather." He finished giving her a pointed look.

Her expression was a mix of fear and annoyance as she answered, "Thanks. Really, my grandfather is in a coma and you're freaking me out with that."

The doctor's face softened a bit and sighed. "I'm not trying to. You need to take care of yourself. If your grandfather does pull through, he'll need to know that his grand-daughter is here and that she's _healthy_. It wouldn't do him any good to see you wasting away."

"You suck at sympathy." She frowned, glaring at the doctor.

"I'm sorry, but you're what…in your late twenties? It's my job to make sure my patients are healthy or try to get them healthy. You count too." He said kindly.

"Thanks for your concern, but I can take care of myself." she snapped looking away, although her annoyance wasn't as strong as it was earlier.

"Then go eat." He said, as he patted her shoulder and started to walk away. "Trust me on this one. You'll be much happier if you eat even a raisin."

"A raisin? Eww! That's a fruit! Are you trying to poison me?" she asked with a look of revulsion.

"No," he said trying to stifle his laugh, "just eat _something_. Eat ice cream for all I care. I'll be back later." he said before walking away and entering a patient's room. She rolled her eyes and reluctantly stood up. She walked over to the receptionist's desk.

"Can you tell me where I might find some food?" she asked sighing. The woman smiled and nodded.

"Go down to the ground floor. Go through Preston Hallway. You should see signs for the Cafeteria. If you prefer you could go around this corner and follow the stairs all the way down, you'll come to some vending machines." Rory nodded and said a quick thank you to the nurse. She decided, the cafeteria would be best, so she could get some coffee. As she was walking through the hallway, someone was being rolled by on a stretcher. It was an older woman with an IV in her arm. Rory cringed and kept walking.

Her thoughts suddenly drifted to Paris. She'd come by that first night to make sure Rory was okay. It took Rory awhile to convince her that she was ok. After some arguing and Rory's promise to call her if anything happened, she finally left for her honeymoon. She'd already called today, to check in and that made Rory smile. She thought of how lucky she was to have friends that truly cared. This train of thought led her to think of Lane. She really missed her. Even though they'd just seen each other not even a week ago, she missed her. Lane was always someone she could count on, and she really could use her best friend right now. She continued to think as the elevator opened up on the first floor. She followed the woman's directions and found the cafeteria.

"Rory?" she turned around and her mouth fell open.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?" she asked looking at the food that was piled in the person's hands.

"I heard your grandfather wasn't doing too well, and I came. Then I realized that you probably didn't eat so I went to the cafeteria to find something edible." She said shifting hands, trying not to drop all the food she procured. Rory smiled for the first time in a few days.

"I'd hug you, but…yea." They both smiled and started to walk back to the wing Richard was in.

"Thanks for coming Lane." Rory said gratefully.

"Of course! How could I not come? I mean I know Emily's passing was sort of different since you had all been in this huge fight and everything, but I know how much you loved your grandfather."

Rory nodded, once again, fighting back tears, "I feel bad in a way. My grandfather did love Emily, and he doesn't even know she died. He's been in the hospital for two weeks now. He doesn't really know anything!"

"Have you seen him?" Lane asked consolingly.

"No, I haven't asked again, but a few days ago they said I couldn't." she said almost pouting, as they sat down on the bench Rory claimed as hers.

"You know…once you're allowed in, what if you read him the paper? I mean, you said he would always be reading the paper." At that suggestion, Rory's eyes practically lit up.

"Wow, that's a great idea. I'll have to ask." Rory said smiling, finally feeling some hope for the first time since her grandfather was in the hospital. She took a bite of her sandwich, realizing how hungry she was.

"I'm glad you're finally eating." Dr. Mason said winking as he walked by. Lane raised an eyebrow.

"He likes you." Lane said.

"Pssh…yea right. He told me earlier this morning that I had to eat otherwise I'd get hypoglycemia. And if I did, it was okay since I was already at the hospital." Lane laughed. "It's not funny!" Rory cried indignantly.

"Okay, you're right. He's worried about you. _You're_ not his patient. He shouldn't have to worry about you." Lane said pointedly.

"Yea I guess." Rory mumbled. Lane stood up but sat back down immediately as a doctor walked past her at a fast pace.

"I'm so sorry ma'am." He said briefly to her before walking away again, not really looking at her or Rory, as he had some charts in his hands. Lane nodded to his back as she watched the blonde head walk away.

"You okay?" Rory asked her as she noticed her friend gaping.

"Yea…" she said almost dreamily "Did you see that guy? He was pretty cute." then she sighed, turning to her friend "I mean you'd think that at 26 Mama would let me choose my own boyfriends." Rory smiled and shook her head as she also looked at back of the doctor that caught Lane's attention. She hadn't really noticed anyone that fit his description during the time she'd spent here. 'He seems so familiar…' she thought, when Lane spoke up.

"So…how's Boston?" Lane said as they easily fell into conversation. All thought of the young blonde vanished…for now. They talked as if they hadn't seen each other in months. Rory was glad for the distraction. Ever since Lane pointed him out, she couldn't help but think of the owner of that blonde hair, and it bothered her. There was just something about him…she just couldn't place her finger on it.

**Tristan will come in next chapter, promise. Please Review. Also I'll answer questions or whatever after most chapters.**

**Kylie1403**I didn't really explain this but Emily and Richard were in a car accident. Emily died instantly and Richard was badly injured. I still have to decide if he's going to make it.

**LoVe23** You were the first one to review. :0)

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	3. Chapter Three

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Three:

She looked at her watch. _7:45am_. She sighed and shifted her eyes between the different stacks of newspapers. _New York Times_, _Hartford Gazette_, _Philadelphia Inquirer_, etc. They even had _The Yale Daily News_. She bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, trying to remember the paper she always saw her grandfather reading. Why didn't she pay more attention? She picked up a New York Times and a Yale Daily News and headed to the cashier.

"You wouldn't by any chance know what kind of paper a 77 year old man would read, do you?" Rory asked. The woman shook her head apologetically and rang up the two papers.

"Will this be all?" the clerk asked. Rory looked around and grabbed a lollipop from a small stand and placed it down.

"That's it." She said handing the woman a ten-dollar bill, collected her change, picked up her purchases and headed towards the elevators. She'd been in and out of the hospital for the past week, and when she spoke to Dr. Mason yesterday, he had told her there was a good chance she'd be allowed to see him today. She was slightly nervous about what she would see. Would he have tubes in him with machine's making noises all around him? She took a deep breath and approached the desk.

"Hi Rory." The woman said, smiling warmly at her. Rory smiled to herself. By now, with all the time she spent there, almost the entire hospital staff knew her by name.

"Hey! Umm...I was wondering if I could see my grandpa today." she asked, her eyes full of hope, pleading. The woman pursed her lips and then cringed.

"You know what sweetie, I actually don't know. Hang on, lemme call up." She said picking up the phone, dialing a few numbers and then tilting her head to the side as she waited for someone to answer.

"Ahh yes, I have Rory Gilmore here. She wants to see Richard Gilmore…Yes…okay I understand that, but she's been in and out all week, just let her see him for a few minutes at minimum…Appreciated." She hung up the phone and smiled at Rory.

"Do you know where it is?" she asked Rory. Rory smiled gratefully at what the woman just said, and shook her head in response.

The kind nurse nodded and pointed down the hall. "Room 416. That should be behind this wall actually. Just follow that hallway, turn right as soon as you can." Rory nodded, and started to speed walk. She rubbed her stomach and pleaded for it to behave. Her nerves were once again on autopilot.

_411, 413, 415, 417…_she looked around, confused at not finding the room. After a few seconds of panic, she stopped and mentally berated herself. She turned around and saw 416. She unconsciously bit her lip and touched the handle. She hesitated for a moment before slowly turning it, opening the door, and slipping inside. She turned around and her stomach dropped at the sight in front of her. His heartbeat and oxygen levels were being monitored. She could see the IV sticking out of his arm. She was surprised. He looked a lot better then she thought he would. She walked over to stand next to the bed and gasped when she saw his face. There were bruises and cuts everywhere. A tear fell down her cheek as she sat in the chair next to the bed. All she did was stare.

"Grandpa, if you can here me, I want you to know that I love you so much, and you have to make it." She let out a soft laugh. "I was just thinking how I've been in and out of this hospital just waiting for you to get better, but this is the first time I've been allowed to see you." she paused for a moment thinking of something else to say. "Mom really wanted to be here, but she's with Luke in Maine. They needed to do something…something about a boat I think. Anyways, we can't really reach them right now, but she should be home in two days. If you…if you can't make it through, just…please wait for mom." She trailed off as she began to get choked up. The possibility of him not being able to make it was too much for her. She sat there and stared at her hands for a while, forcing back the tears. She didn't know how long she'd been in there, but when she sat down it was light out, and now she saw the sun setting. _5:18pm_ the clock read. She stood up and ran her hand down his cheek. She sighed and let a tear fall down again.

"Please hold on. _Please…"_ tears started to fall faster.

"Oh sorry! I didn't know anyone was in here. I'll…" a familiar voice said. She turned around eyes widening at person standing before her. She took in his face and he didn't seem as surprised.

"Oh my god…" she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here," he said calmly. "So…long time no see, huh Mary." As soon as the words left his mouth, he mentally slapped himself. He noticed her tear stained cheeks, and he was suddenly filled with concern. He pushed away his uncertainty and slowly walked over to her, reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder. Her body started to shake slightly before she buried her head in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back. He carefully walked them out of the room and to the main area.

"Ellen, I'm going to go take a walk." He said to the woman at the desk. She nodded. They came to the bench and he gently sat down pulling her down with him. Since she was holding onto him, she ended up sitting in his lap.

"Rory, it's okay." He said softly, trying to calm her down. She lifted her head and stared into his blue eyes.

"He's gonna die isn't he?" She said wiping away her tears. It came out more of a statement than a question. He shrugged and shook his head.

"We don't know yet," he said calmly.

"Tristan, he can't die." She said, her voice almost a whisper. She was no longer crying, but she was sniffling.

He took in her dejected appearance and tried to think of something comforting to say. "He's lived a great life, he may be on the younger end, but still he's lived a _great_ life."

"Why do doctor's suck at sympathy?" she asked sighing.

"I hadn't really noticed, but I'll try and work on that." he smiled as she nodded, taking what he just said seriously. Suddenly she got up.

"Wanna take a walk? Not sure I want to sit in here. I haven't been anywhere but here today." He nodded and stood up after her. They started to walk down the hallway aimlessly.

"So I haven't seen you in a while." Rory said, her eyes focused on the pattern of the floor tiles.

"Four years?" he answered, nodding his head. Rory mentally did the math.

"Yea around there." she agreed. For a few moments it was silent.

"So what have you been up to since Yale?" he asked, not liking the awkwardness.

She stopped for a minute and looked up at him before answering and continuing down the hallway, "Well Paris' wedding was about a week ago. Other than that, not much. You knew my mom and Luke got married." She paused. "I think that's it." He nodded. "You?"

"Ehh…well you knew I was going for medical school…" he answered.

"I see it's started to pay off. Congrats." she smiled, as she looked up at him.

He returned her smile, "Thanks. So I've been in school, and my uncle told me I should take my residency here with him, and that I could work under him until I'm all done with everything."

"Who's your uncle?" she asked, as she had a confused look on her face. She didn't remember hearing any doctor with the last name DuGrey.

"Jeffrey Mason. He's your grandfather's doctor." he supplied, as he looked at her, to gauge her reaction at the mention of her grandfather.

"Yea, I know who he is." she nodded smiling. "We're practically like friends now." He cocked his eyebrow at her in confusion. When she saw the look on his face, she laughed a little and explained. "I've been here everyday for the past week. He's sort of looked after me, to make sure I've been okay." She said.

He nodded his head, now that it was made clear to him, "Great man, isn't he?" She nodded in agreement. Another uncomfortable silence fell upon them.

"I…think we should talk." he finally said, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Talk? Is that not what we're doing?" she looked at him in confusion.

"No…we are…I mean…it's…it's just things were left unsaid back at Yale. I was hoping for maybe some kind of confirmation, I guess." he exhaled, letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"About what?" she answered, still clearly confused.

"You know what." he looked at her pointedly, and she remained silent.

"Okay, let's say I do know what you're talking about. What about it?" she finally said, looking up at him

"Was umm…was it…" he said as he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand.

"No." she said immediately, cutting him off. He nodded sighing. Again, there was silence.

"Look…I don't want this to be awkward. Especially since we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other now." He paused, then took a deep breath. "Can we go back to how we were back at Yale?" he asked. She nodded in agreement.

"Yea, I'd like that." She said allowing a smile to develop on her face.

"Friends." He said smiling and shook her hand. She let a small laugh emit from lips.

"So…as my friend, I want you to tell me everything about what's happened with you in the past 4 years. Help me keep my mind off my grandpa." she said, feeling happier than she had in last few weeks.

He nodded as he began to fill her in. "Well…as you know, after Yale, I went to med school. At first, I was miserable, but it kept getting better and better."

"That's good." Rory said smiling. He nodded and then continued with his story, successfully keeping Rory's mind off her grandfather.

**All right! So I had Tristan in this chapter. A lot of him actually! Umm so I know it may be a bit confusing since I never mentioned them being friends or anything at Yale. But they were friends in Yale, really good friends. Sort of like Lane and Rory, but a friendship with Tristan. Make sense? Okay, please review!**

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	4. Chapter Four

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

My chapters are so good, because I have the best beta in the WORLD! Thank you, and yay! Sleep. :0)

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Four:

Once again Rory found herself waiting on her bench. This was now day eight of her hospital visits. After being able to see her grandfather the other day, she thought it would be easy to see him again. She was wrong. 'Evaluation my ass.' Rory thought bitterly as she sat on the bench and stared at her fingers. When she got there this morning, Ellen was apologetic when she told her she couldn't see him right now as they were performing evaluations. She knew that she was being childish, but she'd been waiting all week, and now that she finally got to see him, she had to wait again. So here she was 2 hours later, attempting to keep herself distracted by playing a game of Thumb Wars against herself. _Attempting_ being the key word here.

Her concentration was broken when she heard a familiar voice. "Good to see you being productive as usual." Tristan said trying not to laugh at her failing attempts. She glared up at him.

"I see _you're_ playing hooky from work." She retorted then frowned, knowing she sounded like a 10 year old.

"Not your best come back, but I'll let it slide…for now." he smirked as he took a seat next to her. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, not looking at each other.

"How is he?" she said quietly, staring at her hands again.

He glanced at her, out of the corner of his eye, noticing the change in her voice. "No change." He said sympathetically. She sighed, and it was silent once again.

"My grandma died." She blurted out.

"What! When?" he asked as he turned to face her. He was shocked by her sudden revelation.

She looked up from her hands, but faced forward, unable to look at him. Afraid that the look on his face would make her break down. "The accident." she replied. "She died instantly; a drunk driver hit them. Two dead, one unconscious and comatose." She said, the last part said in almost a whisper.

"Rory, I'm so sorry." He said as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He was still clearly shocked, but wanted her to be comfortable enough to continue. He knew she'd been holding it all in, and it seemed as though she was finally, albeit slowly, letting it out.

"She may have been a bitch," she said now glancing up at him, eyes welling up. "But…I mean…she was my grandma. I still loved her, you know?" she asked biting her lip, trying to hold back the tears. He nodded and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in for a hug.

"It'll be okay." He said soothingly, as he rubbed her back and smoothed her hair. Rory nodded into his shoulder and pulled away slightly.

"Thanks." she said with a small smile.

"For what?" he asked looking at her confused.

"You're starting to get the hang of the whole…sympathy thing. You listened." He smiled and nodded. Tucking strand behind her ear, he smirked. They both sat there looking at each other, neither one really noticing that they hadn't completely pulled away from the hug. Both were broken from their thoughts when they heard someone clear their throat.

"You know…I was going to introduce you guys, but from the looks of it, you two already know each other." They both looked up to see Dr. Mason standing there, with an amused look on his face. Now seeing the two together, Rory saw a little of the family resemblance.

"Oh…Hey, Uncle Jeff! Rory and I went to school together at Chilton for awhile, then again at Yale. I never told you I knew Richard's granddaughter?" he said looking up at his uncle with his eyebrows furrowed. His uncle shook his head. Tristan shrugged and smiled. "Oh…well, yea I've known her for awhile." He turned his head to look at Rory smiling. He still had one arm around her shoulder.

"Since sophomore year in high school." Rory added smiling up at him.

Noticing how close the two looked, Dr. Mason just smiled and nodded. Remembering why he came looking for Rory, his face became somber. "Well good. Then you don't mind if he's here when I tell you this then?"

Rory's eyes widened, as she shook her head. "N-No." she said hesitantly. He nodded as he turned and started to walk away.

"Follow me." He called over his shoulder. She got up shooting Tristan a weary look. He cringed and shrugged as he stood to follow. She found his hand and held onto it. He gently squeezed it to let her know he'd be there for her. They followed the doctor into a small room with computers. The computer the doctor stopped at had a scan of what looked like a brain on it. Dr. Mason told her to sit in a chair and pointed at a screen. There was white everywhere.

"This is your grandfather's brain. I wanted to show you what we're dealing with. There was a lot of internal bleeding. He's got a hairline fracture." He pointed to the part he was talking about on the screen. He then sighed and clicked another button, as he continued. "This is the scan when he first was admitted into the hospital." Another scan, that appeared much clearer, appeared on the screen.

"We took this one about a week ago, when you first came. As you can see it seems that the blood has flowed out, not causing too many problems. With that however, we can also see more clearly what has happened. We took another one yesterday while you were out, and this is what we found." He clicked a button again and a picture that looked similar came up. Again he pointed to an area on the screen. "This shows that more bleeding has occurred. We think it has stopped but chances are it'll happen again. When your mother arrives, I think we're going to have some major things to talk about." He paused as he contemplated the young lady before him and continued. "I was talking to some of the other doctors, and they seem to agree with me." He paused again and took a deep breath knowing he couldn't put off telling her any longer. "He may need life support."

Rory gasped, her head reeling from the news. She felt Tristan's hand squeeze hers in reassurance. "So, so he's doing worse?" Dr. Mason nodded sadly. He then reached over and clicked open another file. This one pulled up a wave type pattern.

"We've been measuring his brain activity, and there really hasn't been a significant amount. That was something that told us he might need life support. We…" The doctor's thoughts were interrupted when someone burst through the door.

"I'm here! Tell me what's happening!" The three turned towards the door. Rory immediately stood up and ran towards the intruder.

"Mom!" she said wrapping her arms around Lorelai tightly.

"Hey babe, what's happening, and why does everyone look so glum?" she looked around noticing how the looks on their faces seemed contorted with worry.

"You must be Mrs. Gilmore." the doctor said in response to the elder Gilmore's comment.

"Lorelai, please." she responded letting go of her daughter and walking over to the two men.

"Lorelai, I'm your father's doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Mason. I'm glad you were—"

"Great, hi. Pleasantries are over, tell me what's happening." She interrupted clearly not caring who this guy was and just wanting to know what was going on. Dr. Mason nodded and began to go over the same thing he had just explained to Rory. Lorelai's eyes were glazed over.

"Save him, okay?" Lorelai asked quietly. Dr. Mason nodded and left the room. Rory reached over to her mom and hugged her again tightly.

"So in other news, how was the wedding?" Lorelai asked turning her attention to Rory.

"It was really nice. Paris being Paris freaked in the beginning and threatened to kill Doyle if he didn't to show up." Rory replied smiling.

"Sounds like her, anything else exciting?" she said looking at her daughter knowing that she was holding something back.

"I found Tristan." she said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

"You found Tristan?" Rory nodded. "You _found_ Tristan?" She said eyeing her daughter warily, thinking she was experiencing delirium due to the traumatic events she had to endure on her own. Rory nodded and directed her gaze to another part of the room, just behind Lorelai. She followed her daughter's gaze and it landed on a young man that she had forgotten was still in the room. Her eyes suddenly went wide with recognition.

"OH MY GOD! _YOU FOUND TRISTAN_!" Lorelai yelled standing up, walking over, and hugging Tristan tightly.

"Hey Lorelai." he said fondly, hugging her back. "I'm really sorry by the way." He said sympathetically.

"Ehh," she said waving her hand around. "That's for another time. So _doctor_ Tristan, how are you?" she asked taking in his lab coat.

"Been better, but no big complaints." he shrugged, and she nodded.

"Good. So what do you guys say? Wanna get some chocolate?" she asked, trying to sound upbeat. No one was fooled however, as her voice still held a hint of sadness at the recollection of where they were, and why they were there.

"God, yea. And coffee." Rory replied in relief.

"Who do you take me for?" Lorelai asked raising her eyebrows. "Of course there will be coffee!" Turning to look at her daughter's long lost friend, "So, Tristan, you in?"

"Oh..umm…I…sure." He said unsure, thinking mother and daughter would want to be alone. But after seeing the two depressed faces, he couldn't say no. The girls attempted smiles and walked with him down to the gift shop to find some chocolate.

After buying and eating mass quantities, Tristan had taken his leave as he had to return to his rounds. He let them know to page him if they needed anything. Once he left, Lorelai told Rory to go home and get some rest. This suggestion was met with some resistance. Finally, after much arguing, and Lorelai's threat of no coffee from Luke, Rory headed back to Stars Hollow where she fell into an exhausted sleep.

**I think this chapter was a little shorter, but oh well. That medical stuff, if I screwed it up _completely_, I'm sorry. :0( Not a doctor, nor do I really know anything about it. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed:0) Thanks.**

**Thanks:**

Kylie1403: Yea, I will just not immediately

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lovestoact: Oh yea, I'll explain it, but I think it'll make some more sense when more things happen, so I'm going to hold off for a bit.

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	5. Chapter Five

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

I guess it's a good thing when my beta makes my story enjoyable for me to read. :0) Many hugs, to Lala, me amazing beta!

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Five:

It had been three days since Lorelai arrived, and they made the decision to put Richard on life support. Having her mom around had definitely made things easier for Rory. She was no longer alone to deal with all that has happened. Lorelai had been observing her daughter as they walked through the hospital. She knew that what had happened was hard on her, but she also knew that her daughter needed to get on with her life. She took a deep breath and finally voiced what had been on her mind. "Rory, you need to go back to Boston."

Rory stopped in shock. "Why? You need me. You're obviously upset with the situation. You shouldn't be left alone. Besides, with all this and with grandma dying…you need me." The last part she said softly.

Seeing her daughter look so sad broke her heart. She placed her hands on Rory's shoulders as she said "Rory you need to understand something. The relationship we've developed…it never happened between my mom and I. You know that…and I just…yea I'm upset, but _god_ she made my life hell since the day I could say 'No'. You need to get back to work. I'll be fine." Lorelai said confidently.

"I know mom, but can I please stay, just for today?" Rory asked, her voice still soft, pleading.

"Okay." Lorelai looked in Rory's eyes, and nodded her head. "Ok, no more serious talk!" she said waving her hands around as if it would rid them of the seriousness of their situation. They continued to walk down the hallway. "So, how's everything?" she continued, making her voice sound light and carefree.

"Fine…" Rory said as she rolled her eyes, glad to have her mom with her.

"Hmm, I see. No…_rehashing_ past memories with a boy named Tristan?" her mom asked mischievously.

"We were best friends, mom." She replied not looking at her mom. "Nothing changed when…when the thing happened. I know we sort of left each other abruptly, but it's nice for him to be back in my life." she explained, hoping Lorelai would drop it.

Suddenly, Lorelai stopped walking and her eyes widened in discovery. "You want to stay because he's _here_! Oh man! Why didn't I think of that before!" she yelled as she began to clap her hands together and jump up and down.

Horrified, Rory grabbed on to her mom and tried to get her to stop. "Mom, shh! He might _hear_ you." She said in a loud whisper.

Lorelai had devilish glint in her eyes as she took in her daughter's obvious discomfort and continued in the same loud voice, "So let him! RORY LOVES TRIS…" she began chanting.

"…CUITS." Rory interrupted, as she noticed someone from the corner of her eye.

"Yea they're good." Dr. Mason said leaning on a counter looking at the chart in his hands.

Both women froze as they recognized his voice. They slowly turned to look at him as Rory said "How long have you been standing there?"

He looked up from his chart as he replied, "Long enough." He winked at her and walked away. As soon as she knew he was far enough to not hear them, she turned to her mother and glared as Lorelai was clearly trying not to laugh.

"I don't love Tristan." She huffed and walked into Richard's room. Lorelai giggled as she followed Rory. They walked into the room and saw Tristan looking at a monitor and then copy something down. "Speak of the devil…pun intended" Lorelai muttered as Rory glared at her one more time.

He looked up when he heard someone come into the room. "Oh hey you guys." He said closing a chart and walking over to them.

"Any change?" Lorelai asked hopefully.

He shook his head apologetically. "I haven't seen any, and I know my uncle hasn't either." he paused before continuing. "He even commented on how he thought it was strange that there was no improvement even with life support." Lorelai nodded. "I'll be right back." Tristan said leaving. Lorelai sat in the chair next to Richard and patted the chair next to her for Rory to sit in. She grabbed her mom's hand when she sat down, as Lorelai began to talk.

"So dad, I'm here with Rory." Lorelai paused, and Rory squeezed her hand to reassure her. "I…I hope you can hear us. I just want you to know with our history, with everything that's happened between us and mom, any mistakes you've made, I still love you both." Lorelai began to choke up, and had to pause again. After a about a minute, she regained her composure and continued. "We haven't told you this yet, but mom died in the accident." Lorelai bit her lip and wiped away a falling tear. "Just…I can't ask you to come back, but I want you to…If that matters." No longer able to continue, she looked to Rory as her eyes welled up with tears.

"We miss you Grandpa." Rory added sadly. She shook her head slowly and looked at a monitor that had straight lines running across it. Almost as soon as she looked at it, the straight lines became wavy. Still holding on to her mom's hand, she shook it slightly to get her attention.

"Hey mom…what's that?" Rory asked distractedly, as she pointed with her free hand towards the monitor. Lorelai looked at what Rory was pointing at and answered.

"Brain waves." She said in answer, then looked to Rory before her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh my god! There's activity! I'll be right back!" Lorelai said happily and left the room in a hurry. Rory smiled and bit her lip watching her grandfather. Her eyes widened when she saw a small movement and directed her eyes to his moving hand.

"Grandpa?" she asked rushing over to his side.

"Rory?" he croaked out.

"Grandpa, oh my god!" She breathed and hugged him carefully.

"Is your mother here?" he asked. She nodded as Lorelai ran back into the room

"Mom, look!" Rory said pointing. Lorelai stared in shock at Richard.

"Dad? Oh my god, you're okay!" Lorelai ran over and hugged him as well. "I love you dad!" Lorelai said softly.

"I'm sorry Lorelai and Rory for our mishaps, your mother's and mine." he said as he held both women's hands.

"It's okay, dad." Lorelai said nodding. "I forgive you." She looked around distractedly.

"Where the _hell_ are those doctors?" Lorelai muttered.

"Grandpa we'll be right back. Mom, come on, we need a doctor." The two ran out of the room and stopped short as Tristan turned a corner.

"Is everything okay?" he asked worried.

"He's awake! He's….alive!" Lorelai said excitedly in one breath. Tristan frowned and looked puzzled but followed them nonetheless. When they entered the room there was a strange feeling in the air. Tristan continued to the bed and watched Richard, and then glanced up at the monitor. All waves had returned to straight lines. He licked his lips and turned to them with a sad look on his face.

"What happened?" Rory asked, noticing his expression.

Tristan shrugged helplessly, "Are you sure he was awake?" They both nodded. He noticeably swallowed and looked down and was grateful when he saw Dr. Mason enter.

"What's all the commotion?" Dr. Mason inquired as he stepped into the room.

"Lorelai and Rory said that Richard woke up, but from what the monitors show, I'm not sure how that's possible." Dr. Mason walked over and gasped at what he saw. He looked at Tristan briefly before looking at the two waiting women.

"He couldn't have been awake Lorelai. I'm sorry, but Richard…he's left us." Dr. Mason said sadly. Both Rory and Lorelai gasped and covered their mouths in shock.

"He couldn't be! He was just awake!" Lorelai said as she walked closer to her father, refusing to believe it. "Dad, come on, come back." She said leaning against the bed, pleading. The tears started to fall from Rory's eyes as she looked down. Tristan walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay." he said as he hugged her.

"He was just awake, how could that have happened?" Rory sobbed into his chest.

"Are you sure it wasn't your imagination?" he asked softly. Rory pulled away and stared at him in shock.

"We _both_ saw it, Tristan! He was awake." Tristan nodded and rubbed her back. Eventually Tristan and his uncle were able to get them out of the room so the appropriate measures could be taken. Lorelai sat staring into space, as Rory stared at her hands with Tristan sitting across from her.

"I'm going to miss him." Rory said sadly.

"I know." He said, not knowing what else to say. They were silent for a while.

"You don't believe me." Rory said softly.

"About what?" he asked confused.

"He _was_ awake. He woke up, and you don't believe me." He sighed and sat up in his chair.

"Rory, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just…he's been in a coma for over two weeks and literally holding on by a thread. I just don't see how it would be possible that one, he woke up, and then two, he immediately lost all life. Plus, you were upset." He tried to explain, unable to look her in the eye.

"I know what I saw." She said defiantly. He let it drop.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was gloomy, the sky was gray, as it had just recently rained. She didn't know if it always happened that way, but every single funeral or memorial service she'd been to was gloomy and overcast. She didn't think it was fair. Her grandfather was _not_ a gloomy person. He would have hated this. She watched as the casket was lowered into the ground and breathed out slowly. She felt two arms wrap around her waist from behind, and she leaned against a firm body as she continued to watch in sadness.

"He'll be happy now." He whispered in her ear. She nodded and closed her eyes when he kissed her hair. The service was wrapped up and he grabbed her hand as they walked to the car. They all went to a local restaurant for lunch, and Rory would notice Lorelai give Rory knowing looks every once in awhile. Rory rolled her eyes each time and continued to eat her meal. The lunch went quickly and soon people dispersed and went back to their own lives. Tristan remained with Rory, Lorelai, and Luke.

"Hey why don't you guys go do something." Lorelai suggested.

"Are you going to be okay?" Rory asked.

"Yea, and I've got Luke. Besides, you've got Tristan." Lorelai said winking and walked off. Rory rolled her eyes and turned to Tristan.

"You better keep me occupied." She said pointing a finger at him before walking to the car. He smirked and followed her.

"Where to, madam?" he asked as he started the car.

"Redding Hospital." Rory said firmly. He gave her a confused look but did as she said. As they walked into the hospital, Tristan was immediately recognized, and a few people here and there recognized Rory too. Rory continued to walk until she realized she had no idea where she was going.

"Tristan, this is where you come in." she said stopping to look at him.

" 'Come in?' Rory, what the hell are you doing?" he finally said in frustration.

"You need to bring me to medical records." she said firmly.

He gave her a confused look, "Why?"

"I need to show you something." He gave a hesitant look, but seeing that she was determined, and knowing that once a Gilmore was determined, there was no way they would back down, he reluctantly agreed. He sighed as he motioned for her to follow, and he turned to continue down the hall. He led her into the North Wing and towards some offices that were housed in this area of the hospital. They came to some elevators and got in. The elevator ride was filled with awkward silence. Finally, unable to stand it, Tristan spoke up.

"Whatever you're going to do, you _better_ not get me in trouble." He warned, giving her somewhat of a mock glare.

"If we get caught, I got you covered." Rory said seriously, but Tristan rolled his eyes and followed her out of the small space. They followed two signs until Tristan stopped in front of a door.

"I'm assuming you're looking for your grandparents' file?" She nodded as he opened the door. They walked in and the smell of old papers and dust filled their nostrils. Rory looked around and saw "G". She walked over and started to look through the mind-boggling amount of files on patients with last names that began with a letter "G". Tristan waited patiently, still having no idea what she was actually doing. He leaned against a cabinet and mindlessly tapped his fingers against his leg, but looked up suddenly when Rory yelled in triumph. "I got it!" She sat on the floor and opened the file, sorting through the different scans and medical records. He sighed and kneeled down in front of her.

"Rory what are you doing?" he asked gently.

"I'm going to prove to you that my grandfather woke up, even if I die in the process." He sighed again, and seated himself on the floor across from her and moved the file closer to himself. He lifted up a few pieces of paper and took out a newer looking folder.

"Electronic reports are in there." He said as he handed the file to her and ran a hand through his soft spiked hair. She smiled gratefully at him and pulled the folder onto her lap. She sorted through pages of different graphs until she found the one she was looking for.

"So…let's say that you were wrong, and I did see my grandpa awake, what would the print out have to show?" she asked, her attention now focused on Tristan.

"Well _hypothetically_, if your grandfather woke up, the straight lines that were on the monitor would have changed. Instead of straight, they could have been small waves, or sharp spikes going up and down. Anything but straight." Rory nodded and looked down at the chart in her hand and scanned it carefully and then nodded her head once more.

"So, if what I said really _did_ happened, then it would look like this?" she asked handing him the folder with a sheet of paper on top. He glanced at it quickly before looking at it again thoroughly and then looked up shocked and nodded his head.

"How did you not notice that?" she asked curiously.

"I don't do final print outs. That's the attendant's job; there would be no way of me knowing that. Maybe my uncle, since he was your grandfather's doctor, but not me." He said shaking his head. He cringed as he collected the papers, put them back in order and shut the file.

"Rory, I'm…I'm sorry." He said softly. She waved it off.

"It's fine." she said disregarding the tone in his voice.

"I second guessed you again." he said looking down at his feet.

"It's okay." She pressed.

He laughed bitterly, "No, no it's not. This is the reason why we left school like we did."

"Tristan, I don't blame you for it!" she said shocked, realizing what he was talking about.

"I know, but it doesn't help, okay? My _best friend_ needed my help and I couldn't see it." He said aggravated.

"You didn't know." She tried to reason.

"Rory, you needed almost 26 stitches. If it hadn't been for Paris, you would have died!" he said, clearly reliving in his mind, the events from their past.

She grabbed his upper arms to stop his rant. "You need to understand something okay? Whatever happened summer after senior year can never be mentioned okay? You're blaming yourself for things you didn't even cause!" She paused, once she knew that Tristan was listening, and knew she understood, she continued. "Yea, we left each other awkwardly, but maybe it's for different reasons." She paused again, her voice lowered this time, and in an almost shy voice, she asked, "So…why was it awkward for you?"

"When I left, you were in the hospital. You'd just lost your baby, and you were blaming me for…things." he said, once again looking at his feet.

"Things?" she said confused.

"You don't remember?" he said looking up. She shook her head.

He let out a sigh, "The night you got home from that party when you were really drunk, you…you blamed me for allowing you to get drunk and that all stupid things you did were my fault. Of course, you didn't realize the impact of that statement." Rory's jaw dropped.

"I was delusional and incoherent that night! You blame yourself for letting me get pregnant?" Rory asked. He nodded.

"Tristan, you weren't in the room counseling when it happened, were you?" she asked sarcastically.

"What? No!" he sputtered.

"What I did, was my fault, _not_ yours!" she said in a quiet forceful tone.

"I should have looked after you." He insisted sadly. Then remembering what she had said earlier he asked, "So…why was it awkward for you?"

"When you left, I had no idea where you were so it's been really awkward since we never really finished talking about everything." she said, her turn to look at her feet. He nodded in understanding.

"Rory, I'm sorry. I just, when you fell…I thought you were going to be fine. You _looked_ fine, I didn't know you had a cut, and when I saw it and…it, I just…couldn't move." He said with a haunted voice.

"Tristan, in the long run you've never let me down. I don't want it to be awkward between us. Take the skeletons out of the closet and jump on them. I'm okay now, so let's make _us_ okay now." He nodded and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"I'm sorry Mary." He said kissing her hair.

"Me too." She said resting her head on his chest.

"Feel better?" she asked pulling away slightly.

"No, but at least I know that you never meant what you said about loving me." She tensed up and pulled away from him.

"What?" she asked warily.

Tristan looked at her, confused by her actions. "That night, you also said you loved me, so I guess it's because you were delusional." He said in a joking manner. He looked into her eyes and saw her fear.

"Rory what's wrong?" he said, his voice full of concern.

"I do." She said softly.

"You do, what?" he said, not sure what she was talking about.

"Love you. I mean I think I do." She said nervously. He cocked his head and smiled for the first time since their chat.

"I've waited forever to hear you say something like that to me." He said before kissing her forehead. She smiled. "Because I've wanted to say the exact same thing. I think I love you too." He said smiling. She smiled widely as his lips came towards hers. He gently played with her bottom lip eliciting a small groan from both as they slid down to the floor, continuing their gentle assault on each other's mouths.

**So I asked my Beta if there was too much drama in this chapter, and she said you can never have to much drama! So if there is too much, blame her. :0) Just kidding! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and now most of their past has been revealed. Not everything, but it'll come later! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks again! And if you want to know about update's or anything, you can visit my page. Kisk29. LOL, I appreciate the indirect, "You're to slow, forget your life and get us a story…NOW!" :0)**

Troryshipper

Omeomy: did your patience pay off? I hope so :0)

princetongirl

Mamashirl

Kylie1403: I haven't really thought about that actually… :0/ as of now, it doesn't matter to the story anyways…but maybe I should've thought of that…lol

sgmcgrane

LHTDfan

Ali

wickedshizit: well I don't think there will be anymore hospital scene's so I think you're safe. :0) Although since Tristan is a doctor, I will be mentioning them…I hope that's okay.

LoVe23


	6. Chapter Six

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

Many, many, _many_ thanks to my wonderful beta, Lala!

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Six:

"No you didn't!" Lorelai gasped eyes wide in shock.

"Yes, I did." Rory said trying to convince her mom that she _did_ kiss Tristan.

"When again?" Lorelai asked trying not to laugh as she knew her daughter was getting annoyed.

"When I showed Tristan that grandpa woke up, we sort of rehashed memories and we kissed." Rory said rolling her eyes. That was the shortened version. She figured telling her mom the whole story more then three times was pointless.

"No you didn't!" she said again, as if she just heard the news.

Rory sighed, "You're right, you caught me. We didn't kiss. I have to go now. I promised I'd meet Lane for lunch." She said pulling on her coat.

"So you two really kissed, huh?" Lorelai said with a goofy smile.

"Fifteen minutes later, she _finally_ gets it!" Rory said looking at the ceiling and gave her mom a quick smile before leaving. Lorelai kept smiling till the door shut. When Rory was out of site, Lorelai ran to phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"I can't believe you two kissed!" she said excitedly into the phone.

"_MOM!_" Rory exclaimed.

"Right, sorry. I'll see you later. I _LOVE _you!" Lorelai said into the phone, bouncing around, from giddiness and caffeine.

"Love you too mom." Rory said and shut off her phone. She smiled and shook her head as she entered Luke's Diner. Lane was sitting at a table, eating fries.

"Hey friend." Rory said sitting down across from Lane. Lane looked up with a smile on her face.

"Hey you! And only three minutes late." Lane said looking at her watch.

"I was trying to get it through my mom's head that Tristan and I kissed, but it wasn't working. Right when I'm about to leave, her brain finally processes it." She said explaining. Lane knew about them meeting again and about their past.

"Wait, you and Tristan kissed?" she asked a little confused.

"Yes." Rory replied.

"Like...your lips on his lips. Full contact, type of kissing?" Lane said looking at her friend, trying to determine if she was trying to trick her.

"Yes…" Rory answered, eyeing Lane curiously.

"No you didn't!" Lane nearly shouted, jumping up from her chair.

Rory groaned, "_Oh no_! Not you too?"

"No, I get it. I just thought you two were friends. I mean with what happened after Yale." Lane explained, sitting back down in her seat.

"We are…we were. I'm not even sure anymore. I mean yes, we were only friends at Yale, but that doesn't mean I didn't like him as more, you know?" Rory said, clearly looking to her best friend to let her know she wasn't an idiot.

"Completely. So, tell me the details!" Lane said excitedly, bouncing around in her chair.

"…It was completely romantically unromantic." Rory said after telling her tale.

"You know had you said that before the story I wouldn't have had any idea what you were talking about…but _now…_I understand. But you did it in the middle of a medical records room…and on the floor no less?" Lane said cringing.

"I know, not exactly award worthy." Rory said, looking down at her coffee.

"Yea!" Lane agreed.

"So enough about me. How's the band?" Rory said, quickly changing the subject.

"We're good. We've got a small gig Friday, you should come." Lane said happily.

"Of course! I'll be there." She loved watching Lane and the band perform. Besides, she needed something 'happy' to do, after all the drama she'd experienced in the last couple of weeks.

"You could even bring that gorgeous friend of yours." Lane teased, giving Rory a knowing look.

"Gorgeous friend…? Oh, you mean Tristan." Rory said nodding. "Why would I bring him?" she asked, honestly confused.

"I don't know…maybe cause you're _friends_? It might be nice to have some company, since I'll be onstage or surrounded by fans." Lane said frowning.

"Stop complaining, you love that you're famous!" They both laughed.

"Speaking of which, our new Album is coming out in about a month."

Rory smiled, "What's it called?"

"Space Camaraderie." She shook her head. "Don't ask. I was not involved with the name picking…unfortunately." Rory laughed.

"Close friendship in space. Interesting title." Rory said nodding.

"I tried to make sense of it. I looked up the word 'space' and got twelve definitions, not including the sub definitions."

"Well they _are_ guys, so I guess it makes sense to them." Rory pointed out.

"Yea, that's the problem." Rory nodded in agreement with Lane.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'll be back tomorrow."

"That's the eighth time you told me that." Rory said into the mouthpiece.

"I know. I'm just making sure. You know, just so you know that wouldn't just leave you to wallow."

"I wouldn't exactly consider using the term 'wallowing' when referring to my grandfather's death, Paris."

"Okay. Mourn. Whatever. Same thing." Rory could see her rolling her eyes.

"Sure. So how was your trip?"

"It was as good as expected. I wasn't really looking for something extraordinary. Just a nice time."

Rory stifled a laugh, "Paris, you went to the Greek Isles and you weren't expecting to see anything extraordinary?"

"It was nice; a little warm on some days, but it was pretty. Peaceful."

"Alright, well I'll let you get back to your new husband, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay and I expect to hear these details on this mystery boy. Don't expect me to forget Gilmore, because you know I won't." Paris said, as she smiled at the thought of her best friend finally meeting someone worth while.

"Wouldn't expect any less. Bye, Paris." Rory rolled her eyes and hung up the phone but was smiling nonetheless. Rory looked around her childhood room and sighed. Her Yale board was still up and decorated with her favorite pictures. She made her way over to the board and looked at each picture thinking of when they were taken. She came across one picture of herself and Tristan kissing at a party. She let a small smile appear on her face as she thought about it.

"_Spin it! Chug It! Spin It! Chug It!" Everyone chanted at once. Rory rolled her eyes and took the bottle in her hand. Opening to bottle she took a swig and replaced the cap getting ready to spin. They were on their fifth round so everyone had already consumed a lot of alcohol. She placed the rum bottle on the ground and gave it a gentle spin. As the bottle spun, they other players made a drum roll on the floor until it stopped. Rory looked up and saw that it was pointed at Tristan._

"_You just always have to kiss me huh, Mary." He said smirking as she rolled her eyes and crawled over to him and planted a soft kiss on his lips. A bright flash separated them. _

They looked towards the photographer and she smiled meekly. "You never know when you two will kiss again. Might as well save the memory."

Her eyes drifted to another picture. It was another one of Rory and Tristan, only she had her head buried in his chest and his arms were wrapped around her protectively. She bit her lip and thought back to that memory.

"Hey! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Tristan said spotting Rory sitting on a bench.

She shrugged, "Any particular reason you were looking for me?"

"Well you seemed sort of upset yesterday afternoon and then you sort of just…disappeared. Is everything okay?" He asked softly and sat down next to her. She looked at him with glassy eyes and shrugged.

"Not really." she said, looking away.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Just a rough patch in my life. That's all." she shrugged again, hoping he'd catch her tone and let it drop.

"Tell me about it." He asked gently nudging her.

"I can't." she said sighing.

"Of course you can." He pushed.

"No, Tristan, I can't!" she yelled, shocking Tristan with her forcefulness.

"Why?" he asked softly, sounding slightly hurt.

"Because you wouldn't understand." she said, her voice low, but still had an edge to it

"So? I want to be here for you." he said trying to get her to open up.

"Just leave me alone, okay? I don't need your help!" she yelled standing up. "I don't want your sympathy or whatever you're offering me. My mom didn't need it, and I don't need it either."

He stood up as well, "All I'm offering, Rory, is my friendship and a shoulder to lean on. If you won't give me the chance to cheer you up, fine. But at least tell me that." He said starting to walk away. Tears started to escape her eyes as she watched him go.

"Wait!" she ran and he turned around.

"What?" he said softly, hurt still evident in his voice.

"I'm sorry!" she said grabbing his hands. "I'm just not sure what to do, and I'm really scared." She admitted.

"Of what?" he asked with a concerned gleam in his eyes.

"I'm too young, and I have work and a career I need to think about…" she began to ramble.

"Too young for what?" he asked gently.

"I'm pregnant." She said letting out a shaky breath. His mouth dropped open slightly.

"Oh god. I'm so sorry. Whatever you need me to do, I'll be right here." he said wrapping his arms around her as she cried into his chest.

"Thank you." She whimpered.

"Of course. Anything you need, you let me know." He said, rubbing her back to comfort her.

She wiped away a tear that made its way down her cheek from thinking about that particular memory. She looked at her phone and picked it up. She dialed an already familiar number and waited.

"Hello?"

"Tristan, it's me, Rory."

"Oh, hey you." he said smiling.

"Hey. I was just looking at some pictures of us from college." she said a bit hesitantly.

"Oh any worth while?" She could hear the smile turning to a smirk, while he spoke.

"The one where we kissed during that spin the bottle game…" she said smiling knowing what he would be thinking.

"Which one?" he asked with amusement in his voice.

"And then the one from the day I told you I was pregnant." It was silent.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked carefully.

"Yea, I'm fine, I just wanted to call you. We still need to sort out everything." she said letting out a breath.

"Sort out what?" he asked, afraid of what she'd say.

"We kissed, and I know we didn't want to ruin the moment, and that's fine. But the moment is over, it has been for the past two days, and I think we should talk now." she said rationally.

"Okay, did you want to do it over the phone?" he asked hesitantly. "Because that seems a little strange."

"No, in person is good. Tomorrow, my friend is in a band, and she's playing a small show tomorrow night. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" she asked, timidly.

"What kind of music?" he replied.

"Rock, I guess." she answered, an eyebrow raised at his question.

"Sure, count me in." he replied nonchalantly.

"Really?" she asked, shocked that he'd accepted.

"Yup." he said smiling.

"Oh, good! I was also thinking, maybe you wanted to talk before we went? Maybe we could go out for dinner and then go to the concert?" she asked, happy that things didn't seem to be awkward.

"Sounds great Mary." he said, happy that he would get to see her again.

"Alright." she said rolling her eyes at the nickname.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow at 6?"

"Okay, thanks." she said, still smiling at their little exchange.

"No, thank you." he replied before hanging up the phone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"A date?" Lorelai asked with a huge smile on her face.

"Not a date. We're just going to see Lane's local show and before the show, we're going to meet up so we can talk." Rory reasoned.

"A date?" she repeated.

"I swear, you're like a four year old." Rory said giving her mom a half serious glare.

"Nahh, I've still got my terrible two's." Lorelai replied easily.

"More like terrible forty-twos." Rory mumbled.

"Hey! I heard that!" Lorelai pouted.

"Yea, and it's not a date!" she said slightly frustrated by her mom's questioning.

"If you can tell me that when you get home, you're more opaque then I thought you were." Lorelai said giving her daughter a pointed look.

"Opaque?" Rory asked raising her eyebrows and laughed.

"Yea, whatever." Lorelai answered waving her hand around. "So, how about some sleep and then Luke's tomorrow?" Lorelai asked.

"Sounds like a plan. Night mom." she said giving her mom a hug.

"Night babe." Lorelai said and kissed Rory's head before Rory smiled and headed off to her room. As she lay in bed, she couldn't help but think about Tristan, and how she would be going back to Boston in less than a week.

**That was QUICK:0) I enjoy when I can post chapters quickly. Makes me feel accomplished. Lol. Want to know when I'm going to update and what's going on with my other stories? Now you can! Just go to my homepage on my profile:0) Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed:0) Thanks.**

MarieCherry: Oh, that's good. :0) I wasn't sure how much I butchered the medical stuff. Triscuits are good. :0)

princetongirl

readergurl87

IloveJoeL.

Troryshipper

Liz: not everything has been explained yet, but in the upcoming chapters, I'm hoping it will all make sense.

STB: LOL, I know. If I don't explain something in full enough detail let me know. :0)

zetaphi7

FairyGirl07: Umm I actually haven't decided yet…lol. I haven't planned out everything from when they were in college, and I'm trying to get some of that when I write it, but it will either be Logan's or someone who I make up. But whoever's child it was, I'll explain what happened. :0)

passions-spent

wickedshizit: good, because you said you liked this story and I would feel bad if you couldn't read it because of that. But there still won't be much about hospitals. :0)

LHTDfan

Fallen Heart

Kylie1403

LoVe23

rockrose


	7. Chapter Seven

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

Thanks to my beta, Lala, who makes each chapter AMAZING!

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Seven:

It was a disaster area. Hurricane Rory had caused much devastation. There were clothes everywhere. Her rose pink carpet was nowhere to be seen as it was hidden under the layers of clothes. The only thing in her room that didn't seem to have been infested with clothing was her vanity, although her make up was doing a fine job of keeping it covered. Lorelai stood in the doorway, enjoying her daughter's flustered state. Watching Rory run around, she was caught between amusement and awe. Amusement at her daughter's obvious distress; and awe in wondering, how Rory was able to move around in this mess and not break her neck! Her thoughts were broken by the sound of sharp whining.

"Could we focus on me for one second?" Rory complained as she held up a knee length jean skirt and a v-neck t-shirt to her body.

"Yes, but I still can't believe they didn't _kiss_! All you want them to do is have some physical contact besides Rachel stabbing Cillian with that weird boy's freaky pen!" Lorelai responded, continuing their earlier conversation.

"Mom!" Rory sighed in exasperation. She sounded as though she was going to cry.

"I'm sorry, but I think we need to send a letter to the writer's about this. I just wasn't satisfied." Lorelai continued on, knowing it would annoy Rory.

"Alright, you do that, but in the meantime, you mind helping me?" Rory asked, her eyes pleading.

"Fiiiiiine. What does it matter anyway? You said yourself it wasn't a date." Lorelai said, finally relenting to her daughter's wishes.

"It isn't, but I still want to look presentable." she answered, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice, and not looking her mother in the eye.

"Alright, go with the army green jean skirt you got at American Eagle and the black and white striped tank top." Lorelai said after scanning Rory's room briefly. Rory picked up the pieces of clothing and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Looks tacky." Rory said frowning.

"Hmm, you're right. Go with the khaki AE skirt." Lorelai picked it up and handed it to Rory.

"I'm going to a Rock concert. Are you sure this shirt is okay?"

"Yea, and if it's not, who cares? You personally know Hep Alien!" Rory laughed and turned around and put on the shirt.

"I'm actually a little bit nervous." Rory said as she put on her skirt.

"Why?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know. I'm leaving in a few days, and Tristan doesn't even know that." Rory answered, looking away.

"You didn't tell him you lived in Boston?" Lorelai responded, wide-eyed.

"No…" Rory said sadly.

"Here, put these on. He'll be here soon." Lorelai said breaking Rory out of her trance. Rory gave a small smile and put on her high-rise converse sneakers. As she was tying her second shoe, there was a knock at the door. Lorelai smiled widely and ran to get it. She opened the door to come face to face with Tristan.

"Tristan!" Lorelai greeted and gave him a quick hug.

"Hey Lorelai. How are you?" He responded, hugging back.

"Ehh…you know." she said waving a hand trying to sound nonchalant. Then remembering her conversation with Rory earlier, she exclaimed, "Ooooh! I am mad though!"

Tristan smiled, thinking how much he had missed her antics. "And why is that, Lorelai?"

"Have you even seen Red Eye?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes…" he answered warily.

"Weren't you just dying for Rachel and Cillian to kiss? I mean the tension was there, and I think that the writer's did that _just_ to annoy us. You know?" Tristan blinked, unsure how to answer.

"Umm yes, of course." He said trying to stifle a laugh.

"Hey." Rory said appearing. Tristan looked at her and smiled.

"Hey." he said giving Rory an appraising look.

"Was my mom talking about Red Eye again?" Rory asked knowingly.

"I just can't believe that they didn't kiss!" Lorelai complained again.

"Hey, look at the time. I'm sure Luke wants to hear _all_ about it so when he comes home, talk to him about it. Tristan and I have to go now." Rory said taking Tristan's hand and pulling him out the door, before her mother could stop them.

"Bye Lorelai." He said over his shoulder. Lorelai smiled and shut the door._ 'This is _so_ a date.'_ She thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So where are we going, Mr. Dugrey?" Rory asked once she got settled in Tristan's car.

"Well first I thought we'd take a trip to Japan, and then cruise on over to China and if we had time, take a plane to New York City and see the Empire State Building." He said smiling. If he were talking to a stranger, by the tone of his voice, they would think he was serious. Since this was Rory, she knew he was only _half_ serious.

"Okay and where are we going in _this_ lifetime?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

He laughed, "The Half Door."

"The what?" she asked turning to him.

"It's an Irish Pub." he answered.

"It's not expensive, is it?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Uhh not really. It's a good place and you pay for good." he answered evasively.

"Tristan!"

"Relax, its average priced." he said, trying to ease her mind.

Rory nodded, "Okay. If it's not, I'm paying my half."

"Fine." Tristan said smiling. He parked and they were immediately ushered to their seats.

"Wow, this all looks amazing!" Rory commented licking her lips in anticipation to actually eat one of the tasty sounding meals. Tristan laughed. The waiter brought them water and took their orders.

"So, we're talking." Rory said.

"Sort of." They both smiled.

"There's something you should know." Rory started. He looked concerned.

"Is everything okay?" he said worried that maybe she had changed her mind.

"Yes and no." He nodded for her to continue.

"I don't live in Connecticut." she said unable to look at him.

"You don't?" he replied, confused.

"No, I live in Massachusetts." She said sadly.

"Oh, so if we were to have some kind of relationship or anything, it wouldn't work." he said trying to gauge her reaction.

"Do you want to have a relationship?" Rory asked interested.

"I meant what I said about loving you, so yea. What about you?" he said looking her in the eye.

"I think I do too, but long distance relationships never work." she said softly.

He looked down, "So you were just here because of your grandfather?"

"Well I originally came here because of my grandparent's accident, but Paris' wedding was also held recently, so I would've been in town for that anyway. But no, I wouldn't have stayed here as long if my grandparents were alive and well." She bit her lip.

"When do you leave?" he said softly.

"Monday morning. That way I'll still have half a day of work." She said trying not to sound sad. He just nodded, not really knowing what to say.

"You're wrong." he said suddenly. "If two people really wanted their relationship to work, distance wouldn't matter." he paused as he ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't let her go again. "I mean it's about 100 miles. That's not that far. Just over an hour and a half drive." he finished, almost pleading with her.

"I don't know…but I'm open to trying it though." Rory said softly.

"You want to sound a little more confident in your faith in us?" he said mockingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm just unsure of it, that's all, but I want to try it." She said a little more confidently.

"Okay, then we'll try it. But for now, we can still see each other." Rory nodded and smiled.

"I know, so let's not waste our time." She said smiling even more. He laughed. The waiter put their food in front of them.

"Enjoy." She said and walked away.

"Well you heard her, enjoy!" Tristan said and put his fork into the mashed potatoes on his plate. Rory did the same.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Your chariot awaits." Tristan said holding open the car door for Rory. Rory gave him a smile and got into the car. Tristan shut her door and got in on his side. "So where are we going?" he asked as he started the ignition.

"Have you ever heard of Cups?"

"Sure." He said as he pulled out into traffic and made his way towards the building. "So what band are we seeing?" he asked.

"Oh, they're not that well known yet, you've probably never heard of them."

"I listen to a lot of local bands. Which one?"

"Hep Alien." Tristan scoffed.

"I thought you just said they weren't well known! Rory, they're famous!"

"Oh, well I don't really track their fame status."

Tristan smiled, "So how'd you hear about this show? Most shows that bands that play in the small clubs like Cups, are not publicized."

"Lane told me about it, and I told her I'd come." she said smiling.

"Oh right, I keep forgetting you're best friends with the drummer!" Tristan teased. Rory laughed.

"Plus you know about Hep Alien from Yale. I've dragged you to many of their shows." she said, slapping him on the shoulder teasingly.

"I only remember three things from college!" he said smiling.

"Beer, girls, and what?" she said laughing.

"You." he said, taking a quick look at her with a smile on his face before looking back at the road.

She blushed, "Always the charmer." She said smiling widely. He smirked and entered the parking lot, and then turned off the car.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Please, watching as Lane rocks out on stage is definitely on my top ten things I want to watch. She's making up for lost time when she was younger and under the power of 'Mama Kim'. Plus the music is great, and everyone in the band is awesome." she said excited to be watching the band perform again.

He laughed, "You're forgetting that I've met them."

"But that was _pre_ fame." He smiled and shook his head as he weaved his fingers through hers and gave her hand a soft squeeze. She gave him a light squeeze back and walked closer to him. He looked down at her and wrapped his arm around her small waist. She breathed in and rested her head against his chest as they waited in line to be admitted in. They showed their ID's proving that they were over 21, and were permitted to go through in the small but spacious, dimly lit room. Once they found a clear spot, they began to look around.

"I think this is an 18+ show." Rory commented, noticing that there were barely any teenagers, and those who were looked older.

He nodded, "Maybe, but either way, we're old enough."

"Duh, Tristan." She said grinning.

"Just thought I'd point out the obvious."

"Don't, it makes you look stupid."

He laughed, "Thank you for that…insult or compliment. I never can tell _wha_t they are when they come from your mouth." She frowned. "I'm sorry, can I make it up to you?" Tristan asked still smiling.

"Buy me a drink and I'll think about it." He raised an eyebrow but grabbed her hand and led her over to the bar anyway.

"I'll be right with you." The bartender said as he placed a filled glass on the counter and began to fill another one.

"So, Mary, what would you like?" he said turning to her as they waited for the bartender.

"Hmm, you're driving?" she asked.

"Yup."

"I'll get a beer then."

"Sounds good." He said and turned to the bartender.

"What can I get you folks?" the bartender asked.

"Two beers."

"Draft or bottle? Heineken or Budweiser?" Tristan looked at Rory and she shrugged.

"Budweiser in a bottle." He nodded and walked down the counter, bent down and reappeared holding two bottles.

"$4.50." he said placing them down in front of Tristan and Rory. Tristan placed a $5 on the counter and grabbed both bottles and walked away with Rory. He handed her the opened bottle and watched as she took a swig out of it, and made a face.

"Haven't drank in a while, huh?" he asked taking a drink.

"It's been awhile. Normally it's cheap wine at business occasions."

He nodded understandingly, "To my best bud, Rory." He said raising his bottle to hers.

"And my best bud, Tristan." She said clinking his bottle with her own and taking as a swig as Tristan did the same. She had a smile on her face as she looked down.

"Memories?" he asked.

"There are just so many. It's hard to not let them come back, you know?" she said wistfully.

"First hand." He told her sincerely. "So what are you thinking about?"

"The first time we said that to each other." He smiled knowingly.

_FLASHBACK_

"_I need a beer." Rory complained as she propped herself against the doorframe._

"_Well we're at a party, I'm sure you can find one." Tristan said smirking._

"_I've just, never really had a _real_ drink before. Well I have, but that was with my mom and that other time with you when I was playing that game…." she rambled._

"_I'll watch out for you. I promise." He said, cutting her off and patting her shoulder._

"_I know, but what if my stomach doesn't agree with it?" she said scrunching up her face._

"_Then you upchuck." Rory glared and swatted at him. He laughed, "Didn't you say that Gilmore's have stomachs made out of steel?"_

"_Yea." she said warily._

"_Then I don't think it'll be a problem. Just drink slow." He said leading her to the drinks. He picked up two Budweiser bottles and popped them open on the nearby table, and handed her one._

"_To my best bud, Rory." He said smiling and lifted his bottle._

"_That's a pun!" Rory said laughing. He nodded with her._

"_I know, that's what makes it funny."_

"_Well then, to my first and best bud, Tristan." They locked arms and took a drink._

_END FLASHBACK_

"We didn't link arms." Rory said frowning. He looped his arm and hers.

"Ready?" she nodded as they both tilted their heads back and took a gulp. Once they swallowed they laughed.

"God, I feel like a teenager again." Rory said putting the beer down on the table next to her.

"I know, it's actually refreshing."

"I do believe you're the first person to call me refreshing." she said smiling coyly at him.

"I'm a lot of firsts with you." He said smiling.

"What was the first thing you ever did that was new for me?" she said furrowing her brow.

"I cornered you and told you I wanted to make out, indirectly." Rory thought back to Chilton.

"Okay, I'll give you that." She said nodding.

"First guy you kissed after Dean and first guy you kissed while in the midst of everything with Dean." he said giving her a pointed look.

"Why is everything about sexual behavior with you?" she said in mock exasperation.

"I'm just a being with a sexual nature." He said smirking. "All of which I'd be happy to share with you."

"I'll pass." He laughed and nodded.

"Fair enough." They were silent, and Tristan took the time to look over Rory. He started with her feet where she had customized Chuck Taylor's, and went up her bare legs and got to the short khaki skirt, and continued to go up seeing her stripped black and white shirt. He ended with her face and caught her cerulean blue eyes staring back at him.

"Like what you see?" she teased.

"More than I should." He said taking a step towards her. "I haven't said this, but you look amazing, Rory." He said softly. She blushed.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." She said looking at his khaki cargo pants and casual t-shirt. They looked at each other for a while before Tristan took her hands in his and pulled her closer to him.

"If this relationship doesn't make it, once you leave, I want you to know that I'm not going to just give up, okay?" he said softly in her ear.

"Let's not talk about the future, okay? When it comes, we'll make do." Rory said placing a finger over his lips. He nodded, and she leaned up and kissed him softly. He responded and placed a hand on her cheek. When they pulled away, he leaned his forehead on hers and looked into her eyes.

"That's our first kiss officially together." Tristan said smiling.

"Let's do it again." Rory said and was immediately drowned out by Tristan's soft but fast lips. She groaned softly against his lips as she wrapped her arms around Tristan's neck and went on the tips of her toes. He gently rubbed her back and she pulled away when she heard drums starting to sound.

"They're starting to play." Rory said.

"Now look who's stating the obvious." He teased. She smiled, kissed him again and unwrapped her arms from his neck. He licked his lips and took her small hand in his as she walked towards the stage. Lane looked up and waved excitedly and gave her thumbs up when she saw Tristan. Rory smiled and elbowed him lightly. He gave her a look, but smiled anyway. Rory looked back at the stage just in time to see Lane mouth the words, "It's a date." Rory's mouth opened in shock, and Lane just grinned.

Tristan was oblivious to what had just happened so when he said, "Careful. You might want to close your mouth or the bugs might come in. That or my tongue," she looked wide-eyed in horror and gave both Tristan and Lane a hard glare. They only laughed, both for entirely different reasons. Zach come on then gave Lane a hand symbol and she nodded, hitting one of the drums with her right stick. Brian came to the mic, and addressed the crowd.

"It's great to be back just outside of our band's birthplace. We just wanted to give a big thanks to our fans for making us the band we are today. Hep Alien." Everyone cheered and Rory gave Tristan a wink before sticking two of her finger's in her mouth and making a loud whistle.

"Hey you got it." He said nudging her.

"Yea, I got it two and a half years ago!" she yelled over the guitars.

_I got one hundred miles till the end_

_But the end keeps leaving_

_I got a doctor who says I shouldn't spend_

_On the important things I've been achieving_

_But oh, you're never too much_

_To have in my arms_

_You're the best thing and such_

_To have in my charms,_

_And to see in the stars_

_People tell me I've got an obsession_

_I wouldn't call it that_

_Infatuation on occasion_

_Or not moving from where you sat_

_But oh, you're never too much_

_To have in my arms_

_You're the best thing and such_

_To have in my charms,_

_And to see in the stars_

_I'm going to savor_

_All the dreams I've lost keeping awake_

_To never miss a moment_

_But I know it'll end in my favor_

_Because oh, you're never too much_

_To have all in my arms_

_You're the best thing and such_

_To have in my working charms_

_And too see in the smirking stars._

The cheering was deafening. Rory and Tristan looked at each other. 'This is it.' they both thought. This was their moment. At this time, they were both thinking the exact same thing. This was finally their time. They both thought that this person was it, this weekend was it…No more chances, but this one…and they took it. Right there…front row center…in the middle of an overly packed club with a spotlight accenting them.

**I do not own _Half Door_. That is an actual restaurant in Hartford, CT, however I did make up the club name. If one under this name exists, I was not aware. The song is mine, I wrote it, and it's called "Infatuation On Occasion". I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

sugarplumfairy05: LOL, nice approach for the whole reviewing thing! Thank you, by the way. By the way, what's with the rock, paper, scissors thing? You confused me! lol

princetongirl

LHTDfan

Kylie1403: I'm working on it…you're best bet would be to visit my homepage (the link is on my profile). I'm having some writer's block on my end, but I do have some more of the story that I should type and post. I'm sorry:0( I really want to update that one too…

LoVe23: Just want to make sure I got it, you love it right? Lol :0) thanks!

wickedshizit: Lol, thank you!

FairyGirl07: Lorelai is a fun character to write since she has so many characteristics.

IloveJoeL.: Lol, honestly, right now I'm out in the cold too! I haven't yet decided who made Rory pregnant, but it'll probably be Logan, and if not, then it'll be known. Don't worry; there are still memories and flashbacks to come!

fightingillini

MarieCherry: Lol, I love rambling, I'm so good at it! Anyway, I _did_ put both memories in italics, but for some reason only the first one showed up that way once I posted it. :0( I'm sorry about that, I'll see if I can try and do something to help that!

Ali


	8. Chapter Eight

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

Props to Lala, my wonderful beta, who didn't fix this chapter too much, but all the same, made it flow more smoothly and made it so much better! Thanks!

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Seven:

"Now _that_ was great." Tristan breathed as they walked out into the chilly night air. Rory smiled and looked down at their interlocked hands.

"Yea well if I was kissing me too, I'd be as happy as you." She said smirking.

"Mary! Okay one, I'm rubbing off on you, which is not an entirely bad thing, and two, I'm a _wonderful_ kisser!" he said arrogantly, waving his hand around.

"I never said you weren't, but compared to _me_? Well…let's just say you were put to shame." She teased. He smirked and shook his head.

"Sure Mary, if it helps you sleep at night." She gently swatted him. "So, my dear, the night is young, where to next?" he said, letting go of her hand to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her closer to him.

"Tristan, it's eleven at night. The night is very much on its way to needing an RIP engraving." she said, turning to him with her eyebrow raised.

"Alright, then we've got an hour until I can officially say we've been dating for two days." he said giving her a pointed look.

"You _wish_ you were dating me for that long." Rory teased.

"Oh how the truth hurts." he said clutching his heart with his free hand.

"Stop being such a drama queen." she laughed.

"Well I'm sorry, but it's not as easy as it seems with you deflating my pride every three seconds." he said, pretending to get choked up.

"I can't believe this, I'm dating a _wuss_! Wait until my mom hears about this." Rory said, in a mock annoyance, but smiling the entire time.

"Lucky for me, Lorelai likes me." he retorted, smugly.

Rory laughed, "Yea, because she thinks the booty you come with is nice eye candy." She said nudging him.

"She's got good taste. It _is_ after all, nice eye candy, _Mary_." He said smirking. She rolled her eyes.

"So, Mr. Dugrey, where to next?" she asked looking up at him expectantly.

"And when you ask that, are you talking about _this_ lifetime or some other one?" he said in mock seriousness.

"Uhh, if you don't mind, I'd like to stick to this one." Rory said smiling.

"How about miniature golf?" he shrugged.

She scoffed, "Do you honestly trust me with a metal bat?"

"Club." he corrected.

"A club?" she asked confused.

"Yea, you said bat. You use a bat for baseball, not golf." he said as if explaining to a child.

"Oh, well they're practically the same sport. You whack a ball, hope it's a good one, and move to the next spot." Rory said shrugging as they got into the car.

"You're right, maybe we shouldn't go miniature golfing." he said laughing, at her mini rant.

"So where to then?" she asked.

"Skinny dipping?" he said feigning innocence.

"Tristan! I'm 26 years old, I don't think so." she exclaimed laughing, but in shock at what he suggested.

It was silent for a minute. "Rory, when was the last time you went skinny dipping?"

"I reserve the right to remain silent." she said in an arrogant tone.

"So four years ago, huh?" he said trying not to laugh.

"Shut up." She grumbled.

He chuckled, "Alright, one lake coming up." She sat back in her seat. If there was one thing she knew about Tristan, it was his ability to be as stubborn as a Gilmore. And _that_ was saying something. So when she didn't argue, Tristan wasn't surprised.

"I can't believe you're making me do this." she pouted.

"I said it in college and I'll say it again, you need to learn to just, let loose!" he said turning to her.

"I'm 26, those days are _over_." she said scowling at him.

"We'll see." He said as he turned down a side road and parked at the end of the pavement. They looked ahead and saw the moon reflecting on the large body of water. They both slowly got out of the car and walked to the water's edge.

"Wow, I haven't been here since…umm, I don't even remember." She said turning to Tristan. She noticed through the darkness a sad glint in his eyes.

"I do." he said softly.

"You do?" she was confused.

"It was the day after you were released from the hospital, you couldn't really walk, but you wanted to come here so badly that Paris went on one side of you, and I on the other and we helped you walk to the dock. You just stood there, just staring at nothing. Then you just started to cry, and Paris and I looked at each other and helped you back to the car. The whole way back to Stars Hollow you were telling us how much you wanted to go skinny dipping, and how once you had the baby, you'd rip off all your clothes and just jump in during broad daylight." He ended and looked at her for her reaction.

"How long after I left the hospital did they tell me I lost the baby?" she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"They told you once you woke up, but you must've forgotten. That or you blocked it out." Rory nodded.

"How do you remember that?" she said looking up at him.

"Well, not to ruin the mood or anything, but it was the day that Kate Murray called me. She told me she was in love with me, came over to my house, kissed me, and then started to cry about how I ruined her. My hands touched her hair and apparently 'messed it up'. She was wearing it in a pony tail." Rory laughed and smiled. Tristan threw her a mock glare. "I'm glad you think it's funny! I had to comfort her about how her hair looked just like it did when she came and it didn't look messed up at all and quite the opposite." He said loftily.

Rory smiled, "So there's a lake in front of us, and we're still wearing clothes."

"My, my, my, _now_ look who's eager to get naked!" Tristan said smirking.

"You brought me here, so the least you could do is fulfill your end of the deal." she said, looking him up and down.

"Oh trust me sweetie, I ain't gonna back out." He said as he moved towards her and stopped a few inches in front of her. "But first, _this_ has to come off." He said and unclipped her hair letting it fall over her shoulders in choppy waves. She smiled and kissed him softly as he pulled her body towards him. He kissed her back and slowly pulled away.

"You ready?" he asked with a wide smile. She nodded as they both turned around and started to undress. Tristan, who was wearing less than Rory, was done first, and stood until he heard Rory give the command.

"Naked." She called.

"Ditto." He called back. They both turned their heads to see each other's naked backs.

"You ready princess?" he asked teasingly.

"Please, anything to prove you wrong." She said and darted her eyes towards the water. He held out his hand and she clasped it as they both shut their eyes and faced forwards.

"Ready, go!" Tristan called as they both started running towards the water. They both counted their strides and as they thought, they're eighth stride brought them off the dock and into the shallow waters below. Only once they came up did their hands separate. Rory breathed out and laughed. Tristan swam a few inches towards her and smiled at her.

"What's so funny?" he said eyeing her.

"I'm so going to get eaten." she said as she continued to laugh.

"Eaten?" he asked confused. There wasn't any wildlife in the lake.

"Oh come on, you don't remember?" she looked at him as if it was so obvious.

"Apparently not." he said raising an eyebrow.

"Willy!" she said laughing.

"Willy…" he said as he wracked his brain and once he remembered, he let out a deep laugh.

FLASHBACK 

"_Eek, its _freezing_!" Rory said shivering._

"_Yea, well it is the beginning of April. The water hasn't started to get warm yet." Tristan told her smiling. They were silent for a while just enjoying the smooth water lapping against their bodies._

"_Hey Tristan?" she asked looking around worriedly._

"_Yea?" _

"_There aren't any…creatures in here, are there?" he could tell she was slightly nervous._

"_Like eels, sharks, fish? Stuff like that?" he said, trying not to laugh._

"_Or something that'll eat me." She said swallowing. He laughed._

"_Well only Willy, but he'll only eat you if you jump in at a certain time." he said in a serious tone._

"_Okay what is Willy and what time is that?" she said, sounding really scared._

"_No one really knows who Willy is, no one has ever seen him, but he always strikes around 10:30pm on Friday nights." Rory looked at her waterproof watch._

"_It's 10:31." She said with a worried tone._

"_Are you serious? You actually believe me?" he said in shock._

"_Well, I guess its plausib—HELP!" Rory screeched as she sank. "Tristan something's got my foot, HELP!" Tristan who was laughing started to panic, as he didn't see Rory resurface. He dove under and tried to feel for something that could resemble Rory but he didn't feel anything. He resurfaced and took a breath as he screamed when something grabbed his arm. He whipped around to see Rory's eyes gleaming at him. She hit his arm._

"You_ are a first class jerk! You know I'm skittish; you didn't have to do that! And plus, you actually thought I believed you?" Rory's angry frown turned into an amused smile. "Man you really _are_ dumb. I guess that saying is really true. Guys think with their…penises…and not their heads. But when my head hit's cold water it doesn't shrink…" she said and began to fake ponder it. He let out a surprised scoff and dunked her head, which started a water fight._

END FLASHBACK 

"Oh man, I forgot about Willy." Tristan said smiling.

"You _forgot_? How could you forget?" she laughed, lightly splashing him with the water.

"It's been a few years since I even thought about skinny dipping." He said honestly. She rolled her eyes.

"Well Mr. Dugrey, we've got a lake to ourselves, what happens after this?" she said, smiling coyly at him.

"Hmmm…_Well…_ you can pick one. Plan A or Plan B." he said, looking as though he was deep in thought.

"That's original." Rory said sarcastically.

He smirked, "Just pick one."

"Oh Kay, Plan B." she said nodding.

"Alright who's place?" he asked.

"For what?" she asked confused.

"Well Plan B was to have our ways with each other. Technically we _should_ have a bed or something like that, but if you wanna do it here in the lake or on the dock, I'm all up for it." he said nonchalantly.

"And dare I ask what Plan A was?" she said raising her eyebrow at him.

"Ice Cream, all the toppings you want…my treat." He said smirking.

Rory scoffed, "And that just happened to be the one I didn't pick?" He nodded. "Yup!"

"Whatever you say Tristan." He gave her a smile.

"So? You never gave an answer? Your place, my place, the lake, or the dock?" he said looking to see her reaction.

"Your place, I'm at my mom's house." she said looking back at him.

"Right, okay." He said as they both started to swim towards the dock. He allowed Rory to get out first and quickly get changed into her clothes, immediately making they wet. Tristan followed her, and soon they were on their way towards his apartment. There was a garage underneath, and he pulled into spot number 76.

"Do you have assigned spots?" she asked, looking around.

"More or less. You pay for each spot. Obviously the more expensive the spot, the better the spot it is." Rory looked out her window and noticed that the elevator to enter the building was not even 50 feet away.

"So this parking spot would be considered expensive?" Rory asked smiling.

"I wouldn't know." he said shaking his head. "My uncle owns this apartment building. I stay for free."

"Well _that_ seems like a fair bargain. You get to assist him at the hospital _and_ live in a top rated area for _free_. Remind me again what he's getting out of this?" she said arms crossed, feigning disappointment.

"A happy nephew?" he asked cringing. Rory laughed and kissed him.

"You're so spoiled." She said shaking her head.

"I know." He agreed as he kissed her again and then led her towards the elevator. It wasn't anywhere special. It got them where they needed to go, the lobby. As they stepped off, Rory noticed the nice interior but had to forget about it as they immediately crossed the hall and went into another, nicer, elevator. He pressed number four.

"What? He didn't give you the penthouse?" Rory teased.

"_He_ lives there." Tristan said smiling cheekily. Rory shook her head and rested her head on his shoulder. They walked slowly towards the door and stopped. 4D.

"Well…this is me." Tristan stated and pointed towards the door.

"This is so cliché." Rory said shaking her head.

"I'm sorry. I'll _try_ not to make it cliché for you." He said raising an eyebrow.

"Yea, I'm good, just as long as we don't start to heavily make out in the hallway, you fumble for your keys and then succeed in opening the door, then carry me into your apartment, kick the door shut and then bring me to your bed to have sex." she ranted.

"Damn, that was my plan too!" Tristan said snapping his fingers. She shrugged.

"So, as beautiful as this hallway is, I'd rather go in, or go out." Rory said starting to rock on the balls of her feet. Tristan smirked and stuck his key in the door and smoothly unlocked it.

"Had a lot of practice getting the door open so quickly?" Rory asked as she walked in.

"All the faster to push you onto my bed and start procreating." He said as he shut the door. Rory gaped at him, and when he saw her face he burst out laughing. "Wow, I didn't think you'd take that as seriously as you just did." Tristan said still smiling.

"It just kind of, caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting you to say something like _that_!" she said pouting at him, trying not to blush.

"Mum…Mary, I'm just chock-full of surprises." he said looking her in the eyes.

"I know." She said with a slight smile. _Procreating_.

"And now you're analyzing what I could've meant by procreating." he said still looking her in the eye, with a small smile on his lips.

"I'm just _surprised_. You basically just said you wanted me to have your children." She said sitting down on the couch. He moved to sit down next to her, and took her hand in his.

"Rory I don't want you to read into what I just said, okay? My mouth gets ahead of my brain sometimes…well okay, almost all the time. You're not supposed to analyze what I…" he said trying to soothe her.

"Do you want me to have your children?" she asked interrupting him.

"Why, uhh, well, you see it's sort of interesting…" he stammered.

"Just answer the question, Tristan." She said as she looked at him with interest. The only thing that showed in her eyes was confusion. Not fear, or scared like he thought he might see.

He took a deep breath and swallowed, "I've loved you for a long time...at least I feel like I have." he said looking at her, then realizing there was no way out of it, he turned to fully face her. "Think of your life five, maybe ten years from now and keep that picture in your mind. I don't know what _you_ see, but what _I_ see is blue-eyed children running around, some sort of pet…and _you_." He looked away, slightly embarrassed by his revelation. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway, I haven't given much thought to the details, but yea, I guess I do." He said softly and waited for her response. When she didn't answer he turned his head to see tears in her eyes.

"Rory, I…" he began to reach for her, feeling bad for having upset her.

"No, I'm sorry, it's just a lot to take in." she said putting a hand up. He remained silent. "I go back home on Monday, Tristan, and to tell me something like this is just…mind boggling I guess. One part of me wants to stay here and just talk with you about this, but the other part of me wants to run. Run…somewhere. My mom, back home in Massachusetts, friends, Paris who just got back from her honeymoon. I can't promise you those things, Tristan." She said wiping away a tear. His heart broke for her.

"Oh god, Rory, no, I don't want you to promise anything to me. Its way too soon! You wanted to know and I thought I should just put that out there. I don't want to lie to you. Look, the only promise I want you to make, is that you won't forget about me, okay?" She nodded and wiped away some more tears.

"Come on. Let's get you some dry clothes." He said standing up. She stood up but shook her head.

"I should get going. It's getting late and I have things I need to take care of tomorrow." He nodded sadly.

"I'll see you tomorrow though, right?" he asked trying to be optimistic.

She shrugged, "I don't know." She said hopelessly. "I don't know." She repeated before giving him a quick kiss and leaving. On the elevator down, the tears came full force and she couldn't do anything to stop them. Somehow this night went from perfect to disastrous within seconds, and it wasn't fair. They couldn't do this to each other.

**AN: Umm don't hurt me… :0/ I needed to have some sadness in there, otherwise it'd be too uneventful (and I like drama…). Have no fear, we all know Rory sometimes overanalyzes, but she always finds her way back. Just some hopeful insight for you all to have. Thanks again! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

readergurl87

sugarplumfairy05: LOL, thanks…I think. :0)

rish

wickedshizit

MarieCherry: LOL you're reviews aren't boring! So you didn't really give me choices, it was more, "This is what I liked about your story/chapter", not that I mind:0) Don't worry, the relationship_ will_ work, but it wont be completely smooth getting there.

Tonje: Yea, Trory writer's are disappearing. It makes me sad! Thank you by the way!

Kylie1403: No no, there is no such thing as an annoying reviewer! By the way, I got a LJ… :0) I set it as my homepage. Just thought I'd share that. :0)

FairyGirl07: haha, it's my pleasure. :0)

princetongirl

LoVe23

Myra


	9. Chapter Nine

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident.

And all my thanks to my fantastic beta, Lala! Many hugs and thanks. :0)

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Nine:

She was cold, and had no idea what time it was, but in all truth she really didn't care. She couldn't be here. She needed to talk to someone. So as she stood at the corner waiting for her taxi to come, she took out her cell phone and scrolled through her contacts. It was difficult to read the names through her tears but at last she found a number she could call. She hit the send button and put the phone up to her ear as she stifled another bout of tears.

After three rings, a tired voice picked up. "Hello?"

"Winnie, it's me, Rory." she sobbed.

"Rory, what's wrong?" the woman's voice became more alert.

"I woke you up, I'm sorry." Rory said apologizing.

"No, it's okay, spill." Rory saw a cab nearing her.

"Hey, hold on." Rory said as she climbed into the taxi and told the driver her address and the road that would be best.

"Are you in a taxi?" Came her friend's voice.

"Yea." Rory replied as she started to calm down.

"Ok. So, what's up?" Winnie asked in concern.

Rory took a deep breath before she started her story. "Well, a few days ago I ran into a guy who I haven't seen since college. I've known him for a long time and he's even one of my best friends, so we know each other really well." she explained calmly. "Anyway, we started hanging out, and started to get close, and despite the distance, cause he lives out here in Hartford, we decided to start dating." she paused and took another breath. "Anyway, we had a date tonight, and after, we went to his apartment. We were joking around and one of the things he joked about eluded to us having children. Together. It kind of took me off guard, and then when I asked about it, he confirmed that yes, he would want to. He tried telling me not too read to much into it, but you know me! I freak out! I…" Toward the end of her rant, Rory began to sob again, and tried to speak again when Winnie filled in the blank. "…run."

"Yea." Rory hiccupped in between breaths.

"So I take it you ran? This being the reason you're in a cab right now?" she reasoned.

"Yea." Rory sighed.

"Well I suppose it is kind of odd that he would say something like that, out of the blue, in a joking manner." Winnie said through the phone as she scratched the back of her neck.

"It's not odd. I just…I just did exactly what he told me not to do and read too much into it. Oh my god! What have I done?" Rory asked as she tilted her head back and let the tears come once again.

"How long have you known him?" Winnie asked.

"Since 10th grade." Rory answered.

"Okay. So you've known him for awhile. That should make things either more or less awkward." Winnie said.

"It's sort of both actually." Rory replied with a small laugh.

"Mhmm, so why are you calling me then?" Winnie asked frowning. She didn't completely understand, maybe it was because she had just been sleeping.

"I don't know, I guess I need advice." Rory sighed as her shoulders slumped.

"About what? What you should do?"

"Yea." Rory said and nodded even though Winnie couldn't see her.

"Well besides the fact that back before Rob and me were married, nothing like this ever happened, I'll do my best to steer you in the right direction. Mind you it's 1am so my suggestions might be off kilter." Winnie answered, trying to keep the mood light.

"Trust me, things can't get any worse." Rory shrugged.

"Ok, here's my advice. Maybe you should talk to _him_ about it. Since you've known him forever, he probably knows that you have a tendency to run, and I'm sure you running _probably_ didn't make it any easier for him or you." Winnie said trying to reason with her.

"I just couldn't help it, you know? I'm _scared_." Rory replied, in a small whine.

"Don't you think he is too?" It was silent. "Do you love him?" Winnie asked.

She nodded, "So much."

"And he loves you?"

"Yea, I think so." Rory responded in a soft voice.

"I think you should talk to him, but then again Rob would tell me that's not the way you do it, so maybe it's just a girl thing." Winnie said, again trying to lighten the mood. Rory laughed a little.

"Is Rob up?" She asked suddenly.

"Yea, he's researching something for a patient. Do you want to talk to him?"

"Just for a minute."

"Okay, just remember, I love you and you're an amazing person. Remember though that you're not perfect, you still have your faults, as does everyone in the world. If he's worth it though, he'll overlook all your faults and still be perfect for him." Winnie said sagely.

"Thanks, I love you too." Rory said as she waited for Winnie to transfer the phone to her husband.

"Hello?" Rob said as he got on the line.

"Hey, Rob, it's Rory."

"Wow you sound like crap." He said worried.

"Thanks." she said dryly.

"So what can I do for you?" He said, sounding as confused as Winnie.

"Short version. There's this guy. Tonight he said something and I read too much into it, and I ran away crying. I don't know what to do. I mean I love him, and I just wanted your male opinion." She ranted all in one breath.

"Wow, I feel honored. Umm, obviously I don't know the whole situation, but did he mention anything right before you left?" he said as he scratched his head.

"He wanted to see me tomorrow." she replied.

"Then go, see what happens." he said as he shrugged. Rory nodded. "Okay."

"So, I shouldn't call him tonight and see if he wants to talk?" She asked.

"Nah. You're a great woman anyone can see that. We all mess up, even me." he said laughing.

"Oh no! The great and perfect Rob messed up!" Rory said smiling through her tears. "What will the world come too?"

"I don't know Rory, but whatever it is, I'm scared of it." he said in a fake frightened voice.

"Thanks, Rob, and tell Winnie thanks too." she said with a laugh, feeling slightly better than she did when she first got into the cab.

"Alright. Sleep well, sweetie." he said, holding in a sigh of relief, noting that she seemed to be doing better.

"You too." Rory hung up the phone and took a deep breath. It really didn't help her situation, but it still made her feel better.

"Miss, we're here," the driver said in a thick Spanish accent. Rory looked at the meter and tipped him nicely before climbing out of the car. She walked towards her childhood home and was immediately greeted by Lorelai who noticed her tear stained features and instantaneously wrapped her arms around her. They walked to the couch and sat down. Rory told the story as well as she could while her body continued to shake with tears.

XXXXXXXXX

FLASHBACK 

_She rubbed her stomach unconsciously as she continued to walk through the apartment hallways. Finally she approached her destination and couldn't stop the tears that once again started to flood her eyes. She took a shaky breath as she laid a soft and unsure knock on the door. Moments later, it was opened, and her boyfriend came into sight._

"_Ace?" he asked confused as she looked at him through blood shot eyes._

"_I'm sorry." She whispered, trying to catch her breath. He cocked his head, and gently brought her inside his apartment, gently shutting the door behind them. He turned around to face her._

"_Sorry for what?"_

"_Everything." She said softly and looked at him with such desperation that he was shocked. He pointed to the couch and sat down next to her. He took her hands in his and looked at her straight in the eye._

"_Rory, whatever is going on, it'll be okay." he said soothingly._

"_No it won't be. You're leaving in a month. Nothing's okay." She said leaning back into the soft cushions._

"_Please, just tell me what's wrong! Is everything with you and Tristan okay?" he asked gently. He knew that the two of them were close, and for the most part, it was okay with him._

"_He drove me here, but I need to tell you something." He nodded._

"_Logan…you need to know that I never meant for this to happen, okay? I'm not a gold digger, and I'm really sorry…"_

"_Shh, just tell me what's wrong."_

"_I'm pregnant." She said licking her lips before biting the bottom one in attempts to stop the newly formed tears. She waited for him to say something, but nothing came. "Logan?" she asked scared._

"_Are you sure?" he asked calmly. Rory nodded her head._

"_I took two home tests and I came here from the doctor's office. I know this changes everything, and I just wanted to tell you that I don't expect you to change your future for this. I can do it by myself." Rory said confidently, although inside she was falling apart. He gave her a sad smile, before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly._

"_It'll be okay." He whispered._

"_No it won't. I'm 22; I'm not ready for a baby or anything of this magnitude! Oh god, Logan, what are we going to do?" She asked and pulled away from him, with a panic stricken face. "I don't know anything about babies."_

_He took a deep breath, "Before you freak out, just listen, okay?" she nodded mutely. "I think you should get an abort—"_

"_No! How could you even suggest that? I have to be strong, I can't. How could you just abort an innocent baby's life? It has to be given a chance at life." Rory said, completely appalled at the idea._

"_I'm just thinking about our futures."_

"_Yea, well we can't anymore." Rory said standing up. "What I need to know is what you want to be to this kid."_

"_How much do you need for it?" He asked. Rory looked stunned._

"_Nothing." She said and quickly left leaving him behind._

"_Rory!"_

"_Don't talk to me." She growled as she slammed the door behind her. He sighed and shook his head, '_Women,_' he thought. She turned the corner and saw Tristan standing there concerned. He took one look at her face before enveloping her in a hug._

END FLASHBACK 

She was confused when she woke up with her head buried into a pillow, and her feet extending over the side of the couch. She stood up and looked around and saw a note from her mom.

You can't solve anything just sitting there. Go make pretty things happen! I had to go to Sookie's. Apparently taking care of preteens these days are different. I'll be back tonight. Love you, your gorgeous, amazing, super duper, and cool mom.

P.S. Too many adjectives? Yea, I thought so too, but I wrote in pen, and I didn't want to cross it out since it would look messy and I don't have to time to rewrite this. Speaking of which, Toodaloo!

Rory smiled at the note before everything from the night before came back to her. She had to sit down as she massaged her head. _Tristan, children, babies, life._ 'Oh my!' she thought. It made her dizzy. She looked around for her phone and found it sitting in front of her. She dialed Tristan's number and waited for the call to connect.

"Hello?" He answered slightly out of breath.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Oh!" He said surprised. "I didn't think I'd get a call from you until you were back home."

"I know." It was silent. "I can't see you today, I still need to think about things, and I have some last minute errands to run. Are you free tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"Yea. I should be. If not, I'll make sure I am." he said to her reassuringly.

"Can we talk then?" she asked shyly.

"I think we _should_." He said gently. Rory nodded. It was silent for a while before she felt the tears come back.

"I'll call you tonight." Rory said as she hung before he could hear her cry. Tristan looked at his phone and sighed. He really wanted to see her today and talk. He knew that the longer she thought about things on her own, the worse things could get. She set her phone down on the table and walked to her room to get a few more hours of sleep. At around three, she woke up again feeling more rested than she had in weeks. By 8pm, she'd packed everything into her suitcase except a few items, ran to Doose's to get some things for the road, ordered take out for her and Lorelai, and written her article for the paper which was due a few days before. After finishing dinner, she looked up and Lorelai nodded in her direction. 'It's time,' Rory thought as she stared at the phone in her hands. She dialed the number for the second time that day.

"Dugrey." He said into the phone. It was a habit of his.

"It's me." she said quietly.

"Did you get everything done?" he asked warily, not sure what to expect.

"Yea, I'm all ready to go." She stated sadly.

"Okay. So when and where tomorrow?" he said, not wanting the silence to take over.

"I'll come to your place tomorrow around 11." she said determinedly.

"Sounds good." There was an awkward pause.

Rory sighed into the phone, "Tristan?"

"Yea?" The tears came back, this time making it down her cheeks.

"I'm scared." She whispered, through her tears.

"Of what?" he asked surprised by her admission.

"Of everything." She said swallowing audibly.

"We'll talk tomorrow. Get some sleep, okay?" he said, his voice full of concern.

Rory nodded, "Okay. Night."

"Goodnight, Mary." He said into the phone before she heard a click. She placed her phone down and sat down next to Lorelai.

"I'm going to see him tomorrow." Rory said.

"Sweetie, you guys have been friends for a long time, okay? I can't see this relationship being shot to hell just because you're scared." Lorelai said honestly.

"I could." And that's what scared her the most.

**AN: So that flashback was sort of random…just think of it as a dream that Rory has that's true. Remember that Tristan has almost always been there for Rory, which is something that'll come up later. One more chapter by the way before Rory heads back "home". Oh and Winnie is Rory's best friend in Boston, and because of that, she became friendly with Rob too. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

photobooth romance: If you remember a bunch of chapters back, you find out that Rory had gotten pregnant (it wasn't Tristan's) back in her senior year of college. So nothing in the previous chapter was a flashback, but Tristan was referring to the past. You just found out who got Rory pregnant, so hopefully that might clear some stuff up. I hope that helps…if it doesn't let me know! Thank you by the way. :0)

Tonje

Sea4Shoes

RositaLG

RockerChick13: I'm not going to give it away!

LoVe23

coffeeaddict1515

IloveJoeL.: Sorry! Thank you by the way. :0)

princetongirl

Kylie1403

FairyGirl07: Lol not weird, I like some sadness too. You can't have a good story without sadness. :0)

sugarplumfairy05

MONTE8

MarieCherry: Lol a french review would be fine, you just have to translate it for me. :0)

readergurl87

coffeeaddict1515

2006-03-10

ch 8, reply

wow that so sad what is going to happen with rory and tristan don't have them brake up.


	10. Chapter Ten

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident.

And many thanks to my beta, Lala. She makes this story flow, and she makes it glow:0) Thank you so much.

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Ten:

There was a dull thumping in her head, as she emerged from her bedroom, shuffling her feet. She stifled a groan as she fell onto one of the kitchen chairs. Lorelai looked up from her paperwork and gave a small smile.

"How are you doing?" she asked, knowing that Rory hadn't slept well.

"I'm pretty tired, but otherwise, fine I guess." Rory shrugged.

"You're meeting Tristan at 11?" Rory nodded in response. "What are you going to do?" Lorelai asked, setting aside her paperwork for the time being.

"I don't know, talk about what happened I guess." Rory shrugged again, looking anywhere but at her mother. She just felt so lost.

Lorelai nodded, "Hey Rory." Lorelai asked suddenly. "Yesterday when you said that you could see your relationship getting ruined because you got scared, what did you mean? Because he loves you, a lot, and it just doesn't seem plausible." She fixed her daughter with a concerned look.

Rory finally looked Lorelai in the eyes, slightly taken aback at the question. Not that she was upset by it, but just that she hadn't really anticipated it being asked. She paused for a moment and took a deep breath before answering. "If the relationship were not to work, it would be my fault. I tend to push people away when I get scared and I'm afraid at some point I'll just…totally push Tristan away." She paused and looked down at her hands before continuing. "If I do that, I'm afraid I won't be able to get him back." She finished, her voice almost a whisper.

"Oh Ror, there is so much you need to learn." Lorelai said sadly and wrapped Rory in a hug.

"I know," she mumbled into her shoulder. Rory pulled back and looked at the clock. "I should get ready, I need to leave in about 20 minutes." Lorelai nodded and watched as Rory made her way back to her room. A little over 20 minutes later, Rory emerged, showered and somewhat refreshed, although upon closer inspection, you could see her face lined with fatigue. She sighed as she picked up her car keys. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but she knew she had to talk to Tristan. So she straightened up and braced herself for what was to come. As she got to the door, Lorelai stopped her.

She smiled at her daughter in reassurance. "Kid, just remember that no matter what happens, you've always got me. Okay?" Rory nodded. Lorelai's smile then turned into a smirk as she narrowed her eyes. "_And_ if this boy breaks your heart, you can count on me to help seek revenge." Rory smiled.

"Mom, you treat him like your own son." She said chuckling.

"And that can quickly change." She said smiling happy that she got Rory to smile, even if it didn't completely reach her eyes. At least it was a sign that she'd be ok. Rory returned her smile, and hugged her mom once more.

"Thanks mom." Lorelai nodded and watched as Rory walked out of the house.

The 40-minute drive was an anxious one, as Rory thought over every possible outcome. Her nerves weren't helping any, as most of her thoughts led to her in hysterics and alone. When she got to Tristan's apartment, she drove into the parking garage, parking in spot number 79. She climbed out and walked towards the elevator, trying to calm down. As she made her way to the second elevator, her nerves hit her in full force. She really had to fight herself from running out of the elevator and back to her car.

She looked at her watch. 11:01. 'No time to dilly-dally.' she thought to herself. She bit her lip and sighed as the elevator 'dinged', signaling that she reached the desired floor. She walked off and stood in front of his door. 4D. She read it over again and again, but each time it always read the same thing. 4D.

"Excuse me?" she turned around to see an elderly woman.

"Yes?" Rory asked politely.

"Are you lost sweetie?" the lady asked. Rory shook her head.

"No, this is my boyfriend's apartment." The lady nodded understandingly and came to stand right next to Rory, facing the door.

"Sometimes you have to knock hard for the person inside to hear you." The older woman said and demonstrated it on Tristan's door.

"Oh! No!…" But it was too late. Rory heard the hard loud knock clearly, and sighed, but managed a smile. "Thank you." Rory said to the woman who nodded smiling and walked away. Rory glared at her back but her attention was diverted back to the apartment when the door opened.

"Rory?" She turned to see a tired looking Tristan. Apparently he didn't get much sleep either.

"Hi." She said quietly, facing him. He stepped to the side and allowed her to come in. He shut the door behind her, followed Rory into the main room of the apartment, and sat down next to her.

"I shouldn't have said something like that on Friday." Tristan started, afraid of what Rory came to say to him. Rory shook her head.

"There was nothing wrong with what you said, you say stuff like that all the time. I just don't understand why all of a sudden I took what you said to heart. I'm sorry I freaked out, but I'm scared." She said as she wiped away a falling tear.

He gave her a questioning look, "Of what? I've never pressured you into anything…" he said but trailed off.

"I'm scared of how much you could hurt me. Back in college I didn't dare think of you anymore than a friend, but now…I can't stop thinking about you. I've only been dating you three days and it feels like we've been dating the past few years. I'm scared of how my heart _hurts_ when I can't see you. Most of all, I'm scared of ever losing you. I _can't_ lose you." She said as her voice cracked as she sobbed. She began to shake her head as the tears came quicker. "I just feel like ever since Logan and the baby…things have been different with me and men. All I see in my future with any guy is heartbreak and loneliness."

"Even with me?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"But with you, everything seems clear." she choked out, looking up at him.

"Shouldn't that make you relieved?" he asked, pleading with his eyes.

"You know how you described what you saw in your future?" He nodded. "I see the exact same thing, and my track record with men goes against everything I see. I can't live with another devastating heart break." He hesitantly wrapped an arm around her and hugged her to his chest.

He pulled back to look at her. "Rory, I love you, and if I have to use every single penny in my bank account to make you happy, I will. If you wanted me to fly with you to Australia, I'd do it immediately. If you need a night of just the two of us, nothing else, at home, I'll get a babysitter and make sure that the night is everything you need. I don't want you to be scared, but this…" he motioned between the two of them with his hand. "…this is real. If you give up on relationships or shy away from them, how do you know whether or not your life would be five million times better when you're with that person? Life is taking risks, and if you fall, I'm _right_ here. No broken bones, and most of all, no broken hearts." He promised. She nodded and looked into his eyes. He kissed her gently on the forehead.

"It's just me, just Tristan, the guy you've known since high school." He finished. He looked into her eyes before softly kissing her on the lips and caressing her cheek. Her lip quivered and she nodded.

"I love you too." She said her voice breaking once again. He smiled and hugged her tightly.

"You're my egg." He whispered.

"Your what?" she pulled back and looked up at him confused.

"My egg," he said smiling. "You're fragile, and I know that, but as long as _I've_ got you, you won't break." For the first time that weekend, she gave a genuine smile that not only reached but shone through her eyes. She shifted slightly so she could lean against him.

"So are you feeling better?" he asked a little hesitantly.

She nodded, "You could say that." She said smiling. He chuckled and nestled his face in her hair.

"So, how much did _you_ sleep last night?" Tristan asked.

"Four hours." Rory grumbled.

"Looks like you beat me. I got four and a half. So, how about we go find my bed?" he said as he started to get up.

"Tristan!" She hissed elbowing him, causing him to fall back down on the sofa.

"What?" he said trying not to laugh. "There's nothing _sexual_ about sleeping!" Rory laughed then nodded.

"Okay, but _just_ sleeping." She said as narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at him in mock warning. He laughed as he stood up and pulled her up with him.

"And when we wake up, I'll take you out to eat?" Rory nodded, as she yawned.

"Sounds like a plan." She said and followed him to his room. He climbed onto his bed and patted the space next to him. She giggled and crawled next to him and lay down. He rubbed her arm before slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. She couldn't help but smile as he placed a soft kiss on her neck.

"Night Mary."

"Goodnight."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ugh! My stomach hurts!" Tristan groaned as they walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk.

"Why?" Rory asked, trying not to laugh at his discomfort.

"Because not _everyone_ can eat everything off the Dollar Menu _and_ go out for ice cream right after. Lucky for me, I stopped when I ate half." he said as he rubbed his stomach with his free hand.

Rory smiled as she licked her ice cream cone, "It takes a certain talent that you, my friend, just don't possess."

"Thank god for that." He said smiling. She grinned.

"So what's next?" she asked.

"Plan A or Plan B?" he asked with a smile. She groaned.

"Isn't that what got us into the whole mess anyway?" she grumbled.

"Technically, but these options aren't powerful enough." he said as he nudged her with his shoulder.

"Okay, then I'll pick Plan A." she said confidently.

"Good." He said before he leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her lips. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her hands around his neck as he gently prodded her lips open and slid his tongue into her mouth. She gently moaned and broke the kiss.

"Wow." She said, feeling a little lightheaded. He smiled softly. "What was Plan B?"

"Twenty dollars and one of my speed dial numbers." he shrugged.

"Oh can I have Plan B anyway?" Rory asked smiling.

"Why don't we make a deal. Since you already got Plan A, how about I give you half of Plan B? You can be on my speed dial." he said wagging his eyebrows at her

"Hmmm…What number?" she asked pretending to think about it.

"Two." She smiled widely and nodded quickly. She kissed him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. They separated and continued to walk. They walked in a comfortable silence for a while before they stopped in front of Tristan's apartment building.

"This is me. Do you want me to walk you to your car?" She shook her head.

"No, I'll be okay, but thank you." He nodded.

"So what time are you leaving tomorrow morning again?" he asked, playing with her hand, trying to prolong their time together.

"Probably around nine-thirty. Maybe ten." He nodded.

"Well then I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?" she nodded and returned the soft kiss he placed on her lips.

"I love you." He said hugging her.

"I love you too." She said into his chest. They pulled away. "Go." She said looking at the door. He gave her a once over before kissing her softly again.

"I'll see you tomorrow at eight." She nodded and watched as he entered the building, and caught the elevator that another man had just walked out off. She looked down and walked to the garage where she got into her car. As she left his apartment and made her way to Stars Hollow, it struck her. Who knows how long it would be before she would get to see him again. All she knew was that the answer seemed terrifying to her.

**AN: Ehh, drama! There really won't be much drama in the next chapter…besides the fact that they have to say goodbye. Appearances by Lane, Luke, and Lorelai will be made. Maybe a few other people too. Catch you next time! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

Piper-h-99: I missed those reviews. :0)

Sarah

Sea4Shoes

Spreeaholic1: Aww don't be sad! Maybe this chapter cheers you up?

wickedshizit: Psh, darn and here I thought I'd never have to deal with you again! Lol, are you kidding? I don't want to get rid of you!

citygrl: but I updated quickly. :0)

princetongirl

melako17

TristenLover

Callista Wolfwood

Kylie1403: lol well since he cheated on her, so have I.

LoVe23:0)

rish

FairyGirl07: Good guess. :0) A voodoo Rory? Lol, that'd be good, and I'm glad you got the whole thing with Tristan being there for her. I don't know if you read my AN but that's what it said. :0)

Tonje: Do any of us:0)

sugarplumfairy05:

riotgirllina:0)


	11. Chapter Eleven

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

To my beta, Lala, thank you so much and I'm sorry that I didn't get this up earlier. You're great!

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Eleven:

Rory heard noises coming from the kitchen. It was too early. Groaning, she turned over, and opened one eye. 6:00 am the red numbers flashed mockingly at her. It was definitely _too _early. She grumbled as she kicked her feet over the side of her bed and walked through the now spotless floor to the kitchen. She was surprised when she saw Lorelai nursing a cup of coffee, and Luke at the stove making breakfast.

"What are you guys doing?" Rory asked confused. At the sound of her voice, they both looked up.

"Well, Good Morning to you too!" Luke said with a smirk. Turning back to the stove, he shrugged. "I just thought, you know, since you're going back to Boston, I know you won't really be having anything home cooked, nutritious meals. So I figured I'd just make you one last one…for the road." He explained, smiling at her.

"_And_ I'm up because I wanted to be of service to you this morning!" Lorelai said, not wanting to be left out. "That and apparently _every_ single person you know in the Hartford area is coming to bid you farewell. I mean it's not like you're leaving forever, but they all seem to like you for some reason." Lorelai said smiling. Rory laughed and sat down at the table.

"So…how did it go last night?" Lorelai asked, unable to curb her curiosity.

"Good. Everything's ok now. The only thing we really haven't talked about yet is the whole long distance thing." Rory said, shrugging, as Lorelai nodded in agreement. After a few moments, there was a knock at the door. Luke quickly went to open the door, then walked right back to the stove. Rory and Lorelai looked at each other confused, until they saw Lane walk into the kitchen.

"Hey guys." She said as she stood by the table.

"Hey." Rory said smiling.

"So I was going to be a normal person and come at a normal hour but the band has to hit the road since we want to be in Pennsylvania for tonight's show and I'm already going to be late for the bus." Lane said quickly all in one breath. Rory nodded as she stood up.

"Thank you for coming though." she said hugging her friend tightly.

"Sure. I'll see you soon, don't worry, okay?" Lane said returning the hug.

"I'm going to miss you." Rory said sadly as they pulled away from each other.

"Call me once in awhile. Keep me posted on how things with Tristan are going, ok? You have my numbers." Rory nodded and hugged Lane once more before she waved to Lorelai and Luke and ran out the door to the waiting bus. Rory smiled wistfully.

"That visit was way to short." she said turning to her mom.

"Yea, but she already delayed it for as long as she could." Lorelai said, putting her arm around Rory's shoulder in a comforting hug.

"I know. So who else is supposed to come?" Rory said, looking up. Lorelai shrugged.

"I don't know, go take your shower and if anyone comes we'll entertain them until you're out." Rory nodded and left the kitchen. 45 minutes later, she came out feeling refreshed. As she made her way back to her room, she saw Paris in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee as she told Lorelai about her honeymoon. As soon as they noticed Rory, Paris got up and walked over to her.

"Hey!" Rory said hugging Paris tightly. She noticed that Paris had gotten a tan from her honeymoon.

"How are you?" Paris asked worried. She had heard about Richard's passing while she was on her honeymoon. Rory shrugged, a slight frown appearing on her face.

"I'm doing okay. I've been pretty busy, so I haven't really had the chance to think about it." Paris nodded at her words. They walked towards the living room where they talked some more.

"So, do I get to meet or know who this mystery guy is, ever?" Paris said, elbowing Rory playfully.

"It's Tristan." Rory said smiling.

"Tristan?" Paris asked with a confused look. Suddenly her eyes got wide. "Tristan Dugrey? Are you serious?" She said surprised.

"Yup." Rory said, nodding.

"Wow! I _so_ saw that coming." Paris said nodding approvingly.

"I figured that would be the case. That's why I didn't want to tell you at first. But now you know." Rory rambled on.

"Good for you. So…how _is_…everything…with that?" Paris asked carefully, not wanting to be too obvious.

"How's the sex?" Rory said smirking.

"Yea." Paris said with a sheepish look on her face.

Rory shrugged. "I really wouldn't know. It hasn't happened yet. We've only been going out since Friday night."

Paris looked at her in shock before she responded. "Really? Do you really think it's such a good idea? You know, with you going to Boston…_today_, and him staying _here_?"

"It's about an hour and a half drive, that's not so bad." Rory said defending her decision.

"No, it's not. But you're busy, he's definitely busy, he's almost done his medical program, which means more hours he's not going to have free, you need to make up missed work, and maybe you guys should just…hold off for a while." Paris blurted out in concern.

"I can't do that." Rory said shaking her head.

"Sure you could. Gilmore, you won't die, if you don't see him." Paris said rolling her eyes.

"No, Paris, it's not that. I love him, I know it, and I know that I can't be away from him for that long. I _have_ to be able to see him. I just think that if we at least try to do the long distance thing, it'll make it easier for the both of us." She said, not sure if she was trying to convince Paris or herself.

"Personally, I think you guys should just wait until it's easier, but it's not my choice." Paris said shrugging. "So, other than that, did anything else interesting happen while I was away?" She said trying to change the subject.

"No. Not really. Just me and Tristan." She nodded and sighed.

"Look, it's not up to me, and me being who I am, well I have to interfere. You both deserve the best, and I know you two are good for each other. _Why_ you two didn't get together sooner is beyond me and the entire planet, but at least you saw it before you two were wearing bifocals and dentures. _Oh_, bad mental image." Paris said frowning. Rory stifled a laugh.

"I just want to be happy." Rory said softly.

"I want you to be happy too. We all do." Paris said putting her hand comfortingly on Rory's shoulder. After a moment, she pulled her hand away and looked at her watch. 7:30.

"I hate to rush off, but I really need to get to work. I've got a lot of catching up to do, but if I were you, I'd at least break it off for awhile. Love hurts. Isn't that how the saying goes?" She said in a comforting tone.

"I don't know, you tell me." Rory said sadly.

"You know it does. You've had your heart broken before. But you also know that if it didn't hurt, you probably didn't love them as much as you thought." Paris paused letting that last bit sink in. "Have a safe trip." Paris said as they both stood up. Rory nodded as the two hugged.

"Thanks for stopping by, Paris." Paris smiled and nodded.

"Of course. Call once in a while, okay?" Rory smiled and nodded as Paris exited the house. Rory wandered back to the kitchen to get herself some food. Luke and Lorelai were sitting there chatting, when Rory walked in.

"What's with the sad face?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know. Do you think a long distance relationship is a bad idea?" Rory asked suddenly.

"Kid, I think it's a terrible idea, but I also know that you guys truly love each other. I know you'll find a way to make this work." Lorelai said simply.

"No one thinks Tristan and I should have this relationship. They all think we should wait until our schedules are less hectic." Rory said in a sad, quiet voice. Luke sat quietly as he listened to the two women in his life, and saw the sadness on Rory's face.

"Rory, this may not be my place to say," Luke continued, "but no relationship is perfect, it's okay if you make a mistake. Not all your decisions will be the right one. If something doesn't work, you figure it out early on, and make changes to it so that it _does_. Whether it be seeing other people or designating a specific time every few weeks so you can see each other. There isn't _one_ right way for a relationship to work. God knows how many different things your mother has tried." Luke said teasingly.

Lorelai gaped and then smiled, "Okay, well…he does have a point."

"Thanks Luke." Rory said smiling. He nodded and clumsily patted her hand.

"Sure, Rory." He said, blushing slightly.

"I'm going to go put my stuff in the car." Rory said and left. She came out of her room weighed down with bags.

"Do you want some help?" Lorelai asked making a move to get up.

"Nah, I'm fine." Rory said as she slowly maneuvered her way towards the front door. Lorelai watched her walk for a little bit before turning back to Luke.

"So, I think they make it." Luke said, as soon as Rory was out of earshot.

"Definitely." She said without hesitation. "However, it could take a while to actually get there." Lorelai said sighing, as she lay her head on Luke's shoulder.

Rory had finally made it to the porch and was now attempting to take one step at a time in fear that she would fall and die. Ok, so _die_, may have been an exaggeration, but still, it _was_ a somewhat perilous feat. She let out a deep breath as her foot hit the ground. She continued to walk when she felt one of her bags being taken away from her.

"Hey!" She said trying to pull it back. When she saw Tristan, she smiled sheepishly, and let go. He gave her a smile and walked to her car, putting the suitcase in the trunk. She put the rest of her bags in the trunk, lay her nice dresses across the backseat so they wouldn't get wrinkled, and put her purse in the passenger's seat. Shutting her door, she turned to see Tristan leaning against the car, watching her. She looked at her watch. 8:01.

"Very punctual." She remarked smiling. He laughed and grabbed her hand to pull her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck kissed him.

"Good morning." He said after she broke the kiss.

"Morning." She said, placing her head on his chest.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked, as he stroked her hair.

"So-so. It'll be nice to be back in my own bed. I'm just hoping my apartment hasn't collected any spider webs from lack of use." She said, as Tristan smiled.

"You haven't been away _that_ long." He said shaking his head. She looked at him carefully, remembering her previous conversations with Lorelai and Paris. He noticed the sad look on her face. "Babe, what's wrong?" he asked concerned. She bit her lip and looked away.

"People don't think a long distance relationship will work." She said sadly.

"Why?" he said, pulling her chin up gently so she would look at him.

"They think we're too busy to handle the extra work of it, and that now that you're almost finished with your internship and work I have to catch up on, that it would be too much. That maybe right now isn't the best time for us to focus on a serious relationship." He looked at her for a long time.

"I don't know if I could survive not seeing you." He said, trying not to sound like he was whining.

"It would only be for right now." Rory pointed out.

He sighed. "Rory, do _you_ want to take a break for now, and talk about it after your work has stabilized?" He asked confused. She shrugged as she stepped out of his embrace.

"Yes. But I love you too much to do that." She admitted, looking up into his eyes.

"Then we won't do it. We can make this work. We'll find a way around it." He said pleadingly.

"It would just be more stress for you. With everything you have on your plate, you don't need anymore." She said persistently.

"_Anymore_ excuses as to why we shouldn't do this?" He said rolling his eyes. If she had been looking at him, she may have noticed the sarcasm in his voice.

"You and I both have jobs that we need to concentrate on. Not only that, but we have our lives to think about as well." Seeing the confusion on his face, she further clarified. "You live here, and I live an hour and a half away. That's a big commute to consider, every time we want to see each other. We are busy people. Who's to say when we'll have to time to spare to see each other." She said finding more reasons not to start this relationship.

"Rory, just say it" He said running a hand through his hair. He was clearly frustrated. "Just say the word and we won't do it. We won't do the long distance thing. Right now it just feels like you don't want one, anyway." He said slightly hurt.

"I want one!" She said surprised at his accusation, and at the hurt in his voice.

"Then stop making excuses! Do you know why you end up getting scared and running away? It's because you think too much. You sit there and you think of _every_ _single_ possible outcome. What if you just did it? Would that be so bad?" he asked flailing his arms. "I just don't understand Rory. I mean you _say_ that you want this, but then you give me every possible excuse in the book why we shouldn't, so you know what? You.Tell.Me. What we should do?" He said angrily.

"I'm sorry that I like to think things over, it never seemed to bother you before." She said, offended, crossing her arms across her chest.

"It _doesn't_ bother me, but you're playing with my emotions, okay? I _love_ you, Rory. But what you're doing right now? It's really frustrating." He paused to look at her before continuing. "You want to be with me, but we're too busy for that. You want to be with me, but we can't because of such and such. You want to be with me, but we can't because of another such and such. Rory, you're playing with my mind, and I don't like it." He said desperately, hoping she'll understand why he's so angry.

"I'm _sorry_. Maybe I'm just scared." She said softly.

"Yea, well I'm scared too, but I'm not going to let that interfere with my decisions about you. But you already know how I feel and what I want, so I'm good." He said trying not to sound bitter.

"Could you let me say this without interrupting?" She said, looking up at him, as he nodded. "What if we don't do the long distance thing, but we make it a priority to see each other at least once a month and we can alternate who drives where and maybe some of the time we can split the distance." She looked up at him hopefully.

"Is that what you want?" he asked.

"I don't know. Does it seem like an okay idea?" she said still feeling a little confused.

"I guess. It _seems_ okay, but it kinda sounds like the long distance thing to me." he said, shrugging with a smirk on his face.

"I know, that's the point. We're not, but we are." She said, scrunching up her face as she realized how ridiculous that must sound. He could tell she was really torn about this. He took a deep breath and looked at her.

"Rory," he started, "What if get a transfer to another hospital or something? Somewhere closer to you? I mean, I don't have much longer to go, and when I'm finished, I get to go out into the 'real world'." he said using air quotes.

"You'd do that for me?" She asked, surprised, her eyes lighting up.

"Yea, I would. I'd do _anything_ for you. You know that." He said caressing her cheek. She gave a soft smile and pulled his head down to hers. She let out a soft moan as he gently kissed her. He pulled away leaning his forehead against hers.

"I don't want you to just pack up everything and move, Tristan." She said sadly. He nodded.

"I know. Besides, it's not like I could move right away. I'd have to research and see if I could find a hospital that would allow me to complete my internship, as well as look into finding a place to stay, but I'm most definitely willing to do all that. How's that sound?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

She sighed, "It sounds amazing, but I want you to finish your program here. You don't need the stress of finding another hospital to add to everything else that's going on in your life. But since you'll be done the program in about a year, how about then?" He nodded.

"I could do that, but what about right now?"

"We play it by ear? You even said so yourself, what if we just did it, and not planned ahead of time? Would that be so bad?" Tristan smiled at her comment.

"So friends?" he asked sticking out his hand. She smiled and took his hand in hers. She caught the smirk in his eyes and knew that being 'just friends' was the last thing they'd be to each other.

"Friends." She said with a laugh and shook his hand.

"So I know friends don't kiss each other, but…" he trailed off smiling mischievously.

"This is _so_ not going to work." Rory said laughing as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Sure it will." He said smiling back and kissed her softly. They separated to see a line of townspeople waiting to say goodbye to Rory. They laughed and Tristan gave her a soft push forward. He leaned against the car and waited patiently for her to go through the long line. A half hour had passed before she was by his side once again.

"This is why I hate coming home for extended stays. Then the whole town knows you're home and then you have to go through the hellos _and_ the goodbyes to each and every town member." She groaned.

"At least it's better than having a welcome home party, which would only be suitable to only those worthy enough to associate with a Dugrey!" Tristan said sarcastically.

"Thank god for that!." Rory remarked, giving a mock shiver of fright before rolling her eyes. They both smiled, standing in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Tristan broke it, letting out a shaky breath.

"Rory, I know we haven't talked about it, but how are you doing?" He asked, carefully, unsure of what her reaction would be.

"What do you mean?" She asked, clearly confused.

"Well, with…past events." He could tell she still didn't understand. He sighed, realizing subtlety wasn't working. "Rory less than a week ago, your grandfather passed away and since the day of his funeral, I haven't heard you say a word or show any emotion about it."

"I'm not that kind of person." She said biting her lip.

"I know, but I just need to make sure that before you go, you'll be okay. We haven't talked about it at all, and I'm worried that you keeping it all in will make you depressed or something." he pleaded with her.

"I'm fine." She said, curtly.

"Can you give me a little more than that, please? I mean, you remember when my grandfather died? I wouldn't talk to anyone." He reminded her.

She shrugged, "I'm upset still, but I realized that after the accident, him being alive would've meant a life of pain. Plus, he loved my grandmother no matter how psycho she was. He wouldn't have wanted to live without her."

He nodded as she continued. "It took me a while to realize that."

"I've come to terms with it, even if it's only been a few days. I made my time with him the best I could, I told him I loved him, I got to see him one last time and hear him talk. I'm glad I got that chance. Not too many people could say the same" She said looking up at him.

"Okay." He said letting it go. "Dare I ask about your grandma?"

"I miss her…in a _sick_ way, but it hurts less." He wrapped his arms around her.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, just call me okay? I might not be there in person, but I'll always be with you in spirit." She pulled away and wiped away a falling tear.

"I love you." She said with a small smile. He grinned and hugged her tightly against his solid frame.

"I love you too, angel." He said before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Does that make you the devil?" she asked grinning.

"If it means we're together, then yes." She laughed before she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his waist, pulling him close to her.

"Rory?" They pulled away and saw Lorelai standing on the porch.

"Hey." Rory answered, pulling away just enough to turn in Tristan's arms.

"You might want to think about leaving soon. It's getting late." Rory looked at her watch. 9:54. She sighed and gave Tristan a quick kiss.

"I'll be right back, I just have to say bye to my mom and Luke." He nodded and resumed his position against her car. She ran inside and saw Lorelai holding a small plastic bag.

"You didn't get to eat, so I packed you something for the trip." Rory smiled and accepted the bag.

"Thank you." She said. Lorelai nodded. "I'm gonna miss you mom."

"Of course you will, who wouldn't miss the amazing and wonderful Lorelai Gilmore II? I certainly wouldn't." She said cheekily.

"I'll call you when I get home, okay?" Rory asked, laughing at her mother's comical ways.

"Okay, but I must say, I'm feeling rather dejected here. You're spending _way_ more time saying goodbye to lover boy than you are to your own mother. Your own _blood_!" She said feigning hurt.

"Next time, you've got _all_ my goodbyes." Rory promised. Lorelai nodded and hugged her again.

"It was good to see you again. Hopefully you'll be back sooner this time and without such a sad reason." Luke said as he pulled Rory into a hug.

"You can count on it." Rory said and smiled at them both before taking her wrapped food and heading outside. Tristan opened the car door for her and shut it after she got into her car. He leaned his head through her open window.

"Call me when you get back?" Tristan asked.

Rory nodded. "Of course." He kissed her longingly.

"I love you Lorelai Leigh Gilmore III." He said as he pulled away.

"I love you Tristan Alexander Dugrey." She mimicked smiling. He gave her one more kiss before moving away from her car and waving. She gave a small smile before backing out of the driveway. As she started to drive away, they both began to feel the emptiness in their hearts at being separated. Instead of focusing on being away from each other, both tried to smile tell themselves, it wouldn't be too long.

Clouds have a tendency to make things gray, gloomy and sad. However, once the clouds dissipate, you can see the beautiful bright blue sky once again. Sometimes, clouds even add that extra element to make things perfect, to make things more picturesque.

**AN: Next chapter will be the day after Rory gets back and you'll see a little bit of her life in Boston. Also, note the fact that Tristan doesn't know where in Massachusetts Rory lives. Hint. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

readergurl87

Callista Wolfwood

Fallen Heart

IloveJoeL.

MarieCherry: Wow, that's an amazing review! If only I were that good at another language. sighs lol, thank you very much!

piper-h-99

-Campanology101-: I hope that helped. Ask me anything you need:0)

Spreeaholic1

KarahBella

photobooth romance: I didn't mean Rory was weak, just that she's scared of what Tristan could do to her. I used the egg thing, because you can break an egg if you drop it and you could break someone's heart if you break up with him or her. Thanks for pointing that out though. :0)

FairyGirl07: Lol, it's okay. I think I'm actually a lot like Rory, so maybe that helps? Thank you anyway:0)

rish

princetongirl

melako17

riotgirllina: Did this chapter help?

Sea4Shoes

LoVe23: smiles


	12. Chapter Twelve

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. If it's important I'll tell you.

glamourgirl33

princetongirl

Callista Wolfwood

MarieCherry: So your cousin has heard a monkey with an accent speak in French? Lol, I love your long comments/reviews. Reviews are never boring, at least to me. I hope you like some of the lines in this chapter too, I was laughing as I wrote it. Lol.

riotgirllina

KarahBella

SonnyCarlyJasonCourtney

Spreeaholic1

-Campanology101-: Sure, anytime!

Sea4Shoes

Ali

rish

Tonje: He's doing the rest of his internship in England and then he can transfer hospitals. So he's not going to Boston…at least not yet. :0)

Kylie1403: Oh yea, I'm sure there are!

LoVe23: You better love it! You're my beta. :0) LOL. It would be pretty sad if you didn't like this story. Lol. Thank you by the way for making it sound prettier. Haha, hope your room is clean now! That reminds me that I have to do mine…again. Oops. :0)

FairyGirl07: There will be some definite giant steps forward in the future so don't let the one step forward two steps backward discourage you. :0)

piper-h-99

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Twelve: Beep………beep……beep…beep…beep. Beep. Beep. Beep…beep…..bee 

"No!" Rory groaned as she slapped her alarm clock and turned it off mid 'beep'. She let out a satisfied sigh when it was silent once again. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed, realizing that she wasn't in Stars Hollow anymore. She frowned as she thought about yesterday. It was her first day back, after two weeks, and throughout the day, people had been giving her their condolences. There were flowers everywhere. Most of them had wilted from being there since the day of the accident, but there were still some fresh ones. Her first hour being back was spent cleaning out her office. Out of the 7 bouquets she had gotten, only 2 were remaining. Sighing once more, she decided she should get up if she wanted to get to work on time. She kicked the covers down and realized that she was only wearing underwear. She had started to take off her clothes the previous night to take a shower, but instead of lying down for just a minute, she had fallen asleep. She frowned as she got off her bed and walked to the shower. In the middle of her getting dressed, she heard a knock on the door. She groaned and pulled a robe around her and looked through the peephole.

"Hey Winnie." Rory said opening the door.

"Hey, I see you're running a little late." She said looking at her nice pants and white fluffy robe. Rory nodded and trudged to the kitchen.

"I was going to take a shower last night but I fell asleep." Rory explained as she poured coffee for the both of them. Winnie nodded and leaned against the counter.

"So can I see this picture now?" She asked, smiling. Rory had promised Winnie that when she came to Rory's place the next time, she would show her a picture of Tristan. Rory nodded as she laughed at her friend's lack of subtlety.

"Smooth! Yea, gimme a minute to get dressed and I'll be right out." She said and placed her empty mug down and returned 5 minutes later. She looked through her suitcase, which was still full of stuff, and pulled out a piece of taped cardboard. She took the tape off, and carefully took out the pictures from in between the cardboard. She glanced at each one briefly, before handing them to Winnie. As Winnie reached for them, her cell phone rang. She sighed in resignation, and put them down before answering her phone. Rory laughed quietly. Winnie hated when people called her in the morning. If you weren't dying or bleeding, you'd pay. Rory watched Winnie's face contort before making a gagging noise. Not more than a minute later, she hung up, and rolled her eyes.

"I'll have to check those pictures out later. Right now, Sven is having a Sven—attack." Rory laughed and grabbed her stuff before following Winnie out. Sven was their boss at the newspaper. He could be pretty strict, and spoke in an accent that made him sound even more uptight, but deep down, he was a really amazing guy. Unfortunately, for all the women who had drowned in his good looks, he was married and had a son. The two women walked out of the apartment and got into Rory's car. Since they lived in the city, Winnie walked the short distance from her apartment and took a ride with Rory everyday. Rory started the car and pulled out of the apartment garage. Once they got to the main road, they started to chat.

"_So_ how is everything?" Winnie asked.

"It's okay. Tristan and I are sort of still together, and I called him yesterday and he said he missed me, but I dunno. I guess I'm still sort of mixed up about the whole long distance thing. You know?" She said, glancing over at Winnie. Her friend nodded in understanding.

"Totally, but if it's not right, you'll fix it. No one ever completely lost someone over a long distance relationship." Winnie said knowingly. Rory just nodded. It seemed to be the overall consensus. They drove for a few minutes in silence.

"So how's Rob?" Rory asked.

"Pretty good." She said quietly.

"Don't hold back now! Tell me what you really think." Rory said, laughing as she shook her head.

"It's just that…I think well…ya know…and I'm not sure if I should tell him." She said nervously, fidgeting in her seat. When they had stopped at a red light, Rory looked at her friend, eyebrow raised.

"Umm first of all…No. I don't know. Second, he _loves_ you. I'm sure anything you have to tell him, he'll love." Rory said shrugging, trying to figure out why her friend looked so unsure of herself.

"I think I might be pregnant." She said so softly that Rory almost missed it. Rory gasped in shock.

"Oh my god! That's _awesome_ Winnie!" Rory said smiling widely. She noticed that Winnie still had a slight frown on her face. "Winnie, this is great news. What's wrong?" She prompted.

"I don't know. I mean we've been married for a few years, and we're not too young to have kids, I'm just not sure if Rob is ready to have them." she rambled. Rory shook her head smiling.

"Just talk to him tonight, okay? I'm sure everything will be_ fine_, and if it's not, well who needs men anyways?" She joked, trying to break her friend's sullen mood.

"Yea, I guess." Winnie responded, a small smile appearing on her face.

"So you know what that means?" Rory asked smiling even wider. Winnie, just looked at her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I get to be an aunt!" Winnie laughed and smiled.

"Of _course_! And of course you'll be the godmother." She said flashing Rory a genuinely happy smile.

"Aunt Rory. I _like_ it." Rory said testing it out. They both laughed as the rest of the car ride was filled with laughter and giggles about the upcoming baby.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"My brain hurts." Rory mumbled as her head hit the desk.

"_Enough_ Gilmore! You've been out for the past two months! I need articles from you!" Sven snapped.

"You _do_ realize it was two _weeks_. Right?" Rory grumbled, giving him a pointed look.

"Two months, two weeks, what's the difference?" He responded, waving his hand around. "Either way, I wasn't getting articles! Now _stop_ complaining about your well-rested brain hurting and _get to work_! Not all of us can just say, 'whoops I've got a wedding to attend, tata' and just leave! Work!" Sven ordered before stalking out of Rory's office. She groaned, but let her head rest on the desk anyway.

"Hey Rory, I've got the notes for that report on the department store hoax, you should…" Mark Utelle said walking into Rory's office, but stopped short at the site of Rory's head buried in her arms. "Uhh, Rory?" he tried.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace." She lifted her head and waited a second, "Okay, you can go now." She said and then plopped her head back down.

"Didn't I just hear Sven yelling at you?" He asked amused. She lifted her head and kept it up.

"Right now Sven could kiss my ass. My brain hurts." She deadpanned.

"Rough vacation?" he asked frowning and sat in the chair in front of her desk. Mark and Rory were friendly at the office, and Mark was a lot like Jess in the way that they both loved to read and could hold stimulating conversations.

"Yea, my grandfather passed away and I've got a boyfriend now that I really shouldn't but I love him too much." Rory supplied, while burying her head in her arms once again.

"Already?" He asked somewhat shocked at her revelation. It was a lot to take in all at once. It now made sense why she seemed so emotionally drained.

She looked up, and contemplated, what to tell him. "I've known him since high school and we went to college together. We actually hadn't seen each other in a few years, and I ran into him when I went back home."

Mark smiled in understanding. "Ahh okay. And I am sorry about your grandfather Rory. I know how much he meant to you." He finished sympathetically.

"Yea, thanks. Actually it was both of my grandparents. Drunk driver hit them." She said as she looked down at her desk.

"Oh man, I am so sorry." Rory shrugged.

"So how was the office while I was away?" She said quickly changing the subject.

"Ehh boring. I had no one to get coffee with." He said smiling. Rory rolled her eyes.

"I bet there was still coffee left in the pot at the end of the day." She retorted.

"Almost half full!" He exclaimed.

"_No_." Rory gasped and leaned forward eyes narrowing in outrage. "And what happened to the coffee? Who drank it?" She asked accusingly.

"I'm afraid it was thrown away…I know! It was horrible!" He said in the same disbelieving tone as hers. Both were broken from their rant when they heard someone clear their throat.

"_Somehow_ I think this is a bad time." Winnie said stepping into Rory's office. They both turned to look at her.

"It's alright. We were just discussing how the coffee pot wasn't empty at the end of the day and then threw away the coffee." She replied waving her hand around.

"Oh yea, I witnessed that too. I'm sorry, both of you, really." She said seriously. They both nodded and accepted her sympathies. Winnie smiled in amusement.

"I'll just leave you two alone." Winnie said shaking her head, as she left the room. The relationship Mark and Rory had was well known throughout the office. It was completely normal to see one in the other's office, either discussing books or some other random topic.

"I still can't believe they threw away the coffee." Rory said, resuming her conversation with Mark.

"Yea, it _was_ pretty depressing." Mark agreed in all seriousness. "Well I should get back to work, I just wanted to drop off the notes for that department store thing." He said, getting up and heading for the door. Rory nodded and picked up the files he had put on her desk.

"Thanks Mark." She said flipping through them.

"Sure." He sent her a smile before walking out the door. Moments later, Winnie walked in with a knowing smile on her face.

"You know, if I wasn't already married, I'd totally go after him. I mean have you_ looked_ at that boy?" Winnie asked in a whisper. Rory laughed at her friend's antics. Mark was around 5'9'', shaggy light brown hair, hazel eyes, fair skin, and a camera tattooed on the inside of his left forearm. His reason for it? He wasn't sure, but he thought it was, 'Pretty Wicked'.

"Yea, Mark isn't unfortunate, but you _do_ know he has a girlfriend, right?" Rory said, giving her an amused look.

"Oh _right_, what's her name? Pamela Anderson?" Winnie asked, bitterly.

Rory laughed, "Are you talking about Lesley? They've been broken up for over a year now! He's going out with this girl named Laura."

"And are her attributes _gi_-normous as well?" She asked, her voice dripping with false innocence.

"Winnie! And _no_, they're pretty average. She's actually really pretty." Rory said rolling her eyes. Winnie smiled.

"So I just heard some gossip." She said trying to be nonchalant. Rory raised her eyebrows.

"Pray tell." Rory responded, taking the bait.

"Well you know how they fired that lady who dealt with the shopping articles and the trends?" Rory nodded, "Well apparently they've just hired a new one and she starts next Monday. She better not be a ditz." Winnie finished in irritation.

"I _hate_ new people. I'm sorry but our cult is_ closed_!" Rory responded, with the same agitation. Winnie nodded in agreement.

"Gilmore!" The two women jumped at the voice. It was Sven.

"I'm working! Winnie was just helping me gather my thoughts on the new medical facility going up around the corner." Rory said, quickly reading a headline off a nearby newspaper.

"So you're starting more than one story?" He asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion

"Yes, sir." Rory nodded.

"Good, I expect to see that next Friday." Sven said and left. Rory groaned.

"That was not supposed to happen." She said, plopping her head on her desk once again.

Winnie laughed, "Coffee break?" She suggested.

"Yes, please." Rory sighed and they both got up to get some coffee.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

It was the next night and Rory was making herself some popcorn. She hadn't talked to Tristan since Monday and it was starting to get to her. She'd called him several times, and left a bunch of messages, but he was really busy and hadn't had a chance to call back. She put in a DVD and sat on her couch as the menu came up. She stared at the 'Play Movie' option for a few minutes and jumped when her phone rang.

"Hello?" Rory answered not bothering to check the caller ID.

"I'm _so_ sorry! I've just been so busy lately, and every time I've picked up the damn phone to call you I've been interrupted and I_ finally_ have a chance to talk to you, and I want to know _everything_." He said rushed.

"You want to take a breather there?" She said smiling and happy that he had finally called. "I'd like to talk to you and if you pass out from lack of oxygen and hit your head…well that would sort of interfere with us talking." She heard him take a breath.

"How are you?" He said, as he exhaled.

"Fine. My boss is being a real ass about me making up my work, but it'll get done and then he can go bother someone else. Luckily there's this new person coming in, so it'll give him someone else to direct his line of fire at. You know, keep me in the shadow for a short time." She said, as she relaxed into the sofa.

"Bosses suck. Even working under my uncle sucks most of the time, but you'll get through it. I have faith in you." He said encouragingly.

"Thanks." She said smiling at his sweetness. "So how are you?"

"Eh so-so. I miss you." He said softly.

"I miss you too." Rory said biting her lip. She heard him take a hesitant breath.

"Tristan, is everything okay?" She said concerned.

"I'm not sure." He said hesitantly.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" She said, as she sat up, worried about what he was about to tell her.

He took another breath before explaining. "The head of the medical program picks a few students every year from my program to study for a while abroad. I was one of the ones picked, and it means that I have a chance to study in England for a short period of time."

"Oh my god, Tristan that's amazing!" She said excitedly.

"I know, and it's a great opportunity, but it would mean that I would be gone for six months." He said hesitantly. And just like that, all excitement was gone.

"When do you have to let them know by?" She said in a soft voice. She knew this was a huge deal for Tristan, and she was very happy for him. But it was already hard just having him a couple hundred miles away, let alone having him in another country.

"Saturday, and I would be leaving in two weeks. The tickets were already pre-purchased. They always select 8 people for each group." He explained, listening for her reaction. Rory remained silent, letting the information sink in.

"I don't even know if I want to do it." Tristan added.

"Don't be stupid, of _course_ you want to do it. This is an amazing opportunity! I mean, who wouldn't want to do it? Even _I_ want to do it and the only thing I know about medicine is that when you've got a cut you put that whitish creamy stuff on it and then put a band-aid on it." She said, knowing that he was trying to make things easier for them.

"So you'd be okay with me going?" He asked hopefully.

"I guess." Rory said sadly.

"There'd be no way I'd go without seeing you first though, so if you're free this weekend, maybe you could pen me in?" He said reassuring her that there was nothing more he'd rather do than be with her. She smiled widely at his efforts.

"Of course I could." She replied happily.

"Good." He said, letting out the breath he'd been holding in.

"Wait, isn't your birthday Saturday?" She asked, as she got up to look at her calendar.

"Yea, but don't worry about it." He said dismissively.

"Nonsense! We have to! Forget about coming up here, I'll go down there; I don't want you to drive! At least not on your birthday." She said excitedly.

"Are you sure?" He said, surprised at how important this seemed to be for her.

"Of course. I'll drive in Saturday morning and leave Sunday afternoon. It's no problem, in fact I _want_ to." Rory said smiling at the fact that she would be able to see him soon again.

"Okay, well either way I'm seeing you this weekend, no ifs, ands, or buts." He said, happy at the sudden turn of events.

"You _do_ have a nice butt." Rory said smiling widely. Tristan smirked at her words.

"Why thank you Miss. Gilmore. I believe that was a compliment I just heard." He said smugly.

"It _was_. Savor it now, cause chances are there won't be any more for a while." She said with mock arrogance.

"Oh trust me babe, I'm savoring it all right." He said huskily, causing Rory to blush.

"Listen, I have to go, okay?" Tristan said on a sadder note.

"Okay." She replied, her tone matching his.

"I'm sorry, but I'll talk to you later and if not then I'll see you Saturday." He said trying to appease her.

"Okay." She said sounding a little happier, at the reminder that she would see him in a few days.

"I love you sweetie, have a good night." He said sweetly.

"Love you too." Rory said smiling as they both hung up their phones. Rory sighed and directed her attention back to the TV. She pressed play and sat back to watch as the movie started.

**AN: Sorry this took so long to get out to you all! I got writer's block and let it sit for a few days and now I'm back! You can also see that I'm answering question at the beginning of each chapter since it makes more sense to see the answers to your questions before you read the next chapter than after. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

**POLLLLL! AND IT'S IMPORTANT!**

**Rory and Tristan have a nearby meeting and during that time, they will most likely have sex. My question to all of you, is whether or not you'd like me to actually write out the detailed sex scene's (and change the rating to M), or to keep it at the current rating, and use _some_ graphics that imply what's happening but isn't full blown this is what is happening. So vote!**

**Change the rating to M? (Very graphic sex scene)**

**Or keep it the way it is? (Not so graphic sex scene)**

**Thanks!**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident.

And many thanks to my beta La, who got to go to Vegas and Disneyland but still had time to beta this chapter! Lucky:0)

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Thirteen:

"So what did he say?" Rory asked, the following morning as they pulled into the parking lot of the paper.

"He didn't say anything, because I didn't tell him." Winnie said, unable to meet Rory's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked confused.

"Well I'm not even sure, and I have an appointment today so I wanted to wait until I was sure before I said anything to him. I mean there's no need to excite him or anything if there's no baby anyway, right?" Winnie said, looking at Rory, pleading in her eyes. Rory sighed as she took in the distraught look on her friend's face.

"But you promise to tell him as soon as you know?" She relented.

"Yea." Winnie said nodding. Rory nodded and let it go.

"So how about that phone call with Tristan last night." Winnie said nudging Rory. Rory laughed as the elevator doors opened and showed them the proper floor.

"We're going to see each other this weekend. It's his birthday." Rory said giddily, forgetting the drama of the previous conversation.

"His birthday? Ooh, and are you guys doing anything special?" Winnie said grinning, happy to see her friend smile again.

"I don't know. I'm going to Hartford so we'll see. Any ideas?" Rory asked.

"Uhh well maybe some dinner and then go back to his place give him some strawberries and treat him to some birthday sex." Winnie said smiling. Rory blushed.

"I don't know." Rory said frowning.

"What do you mean? You've done it all before with him." Rory shook her head. "You haven't?" Winnie asked confused.

"We've never had sex." She said quietly. Winnie was surprised.

"You haven't?" She asked again, shocked at Rory's confession.

"No, we've only been dating since last week. Isn't a week a little soon to be having sex?" Rory asked, blushing with embarrassment.

"Well you guys already know you love each other, so no. But ya know you've always got time. Rob and I did it for the first time on our three month anniversary." She said as she followed Rory into her office.

"Would it be weird if I asked him if it was too soon?" Rory asked.

"A _little_…but you two obviously have sexual issues so I wouldn't worry about it." Rory quirked an eyebrow. Winnie had never even _met_ or _seen_ Tristan.

"All I'm saying is that you called me at 1am because you took something he said out of proportion. Plus, do you know how hard it is for a guy to stay celibate for over 6 months? Trust me. Rob can barely go a week without it." Winnie pointed out.

"So I'm doing this for _him_?" Rory asked smiling.

"Technically, but you should enjoy it too. Or at least try too." Winnie said grinning.

"I don't think enjoying it will be a problem. His reputation has done anything but degrade him sexually." Rory said dryly.

"He's a good kisser?" Winnie asked, suddenly.

"Yes." Rory whimpered.

"Uh oh, what's wrong?" Mark asked coming into Rory's office carrying a folder with a post-it marked, 'Please give this to Rory Gilmore'.

"Rory's going to have sex with her boyfriend this weekend for the first time." Winnie supplied eagerly.

"Winnie!" Rory gasped. Mark smirked.

"Oh honey, that is _nothing_ to be ashamed of. I'm sure he'll be excited. No pun intended." Mark said dropping the folder on her desk.

"See this is why I can't tell you guys things." She said as she plopped into her chair, pouting with her arms across her chest.

"Why, because we're more excited for you than you are?" Winnie asked, smiling at her, giving her a knowing look.

"No. Because you make a big deal out of it." Rory responded, still pouting.

"_It's not a big deal?_ Didn't Winnie just say you were going to do it for the first time with him? I'm sorry, but in my book that's sort of exciting. A new guy, a new experience. Well for me its new girl, better sex, and hopefully a better experience. And if it's not, well…bye, bye." Mark said shrugging. Winnie and Rory looked horrified.

"That is _so_ wrong." Winnie said.

"Whatever." Mark said shaking his head.

"Oh yea, I heard you got a new girlfriend. Speaking of better experiences. How's that going, by the way?" Winnie said, crossing her arms across her chest. "I hear she isn't as endowed as your last one. Pamela." She smirked, as Mark rolled his eyes.

"_Lesley_ was perfectly fine, but I think she was secretly a gold digger, but there was one problem. Nowhere in my family is there a large sum of gold she could dig up. She realized this, eluded to wanting to break up, and I did it for her. Laura, my new girlfriend seems fine so far. We've only been going out for a few months, but so far she seems pretty great. Rory, you met her that one time, what do you think?" Mark asked, turning to look at Rory.

"She seemed perfectly fine." Rory said, nodding her head.

"What does she look like?" Winnie asked eagerly. Rory shrugged.

"Oh come on! Rory got to meet her!" Winnie whined.

"Uh, you wanna meet her?" Mark asked, shocked as Winnie nodded and Rory shrugged.

"We're going to that bar down the street right after I get off work. You guys are welcome to join us for a bit." Mark offered.

"Sure thing, I'll tell Rob to come too." Winnie said. Mark nodded.

"Excuse me, why are three of my employee's just sitting around and chatting when Gilmore has three pieces she needs to finish by next Friday?" Sven said glaring from the doorway.

"Because we realized how much work Rory actually had to do and we wanted to help alleviate some of her stress." Mark said immediately.

"Ahh, and what are your plans to do this?" Sven asked, as he leaned on the doorway.

"Well since Rory was kidding about the Medical piece, it's going to be done by Isabelle since she deals with Medicine, and then the department store piece is going to be split up between Rory and Mark since Mark seems better at finding details on this matter than Rory is." Winnie answered.

"Good. Teamwork, I love it. Keep it up." Sven said nodding approvingly and left.

"That man is _so_ strange." Winnie whispered, as they all relaxed once Sven left.

"Ha! You're lucky you only have to deal with him at work." They both gave him a confused look.

"He's my room mate's uncle." Mark cringed. Winnie and Rory stifled a laugh.

"Yea, yea, laugh it up." Mark said rolling his eyes. Rory and Winnie let out their laughs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't see her." Rory said tapping Mark.

"She'll be here." He said looking around.

"Hey guys." They turned around to see Rob.

"Rob, hey!" Rory said giving him a hug. He gave Mark a handshake.

"So, where's Winnie?" He asked, scanning the room for his wife.

"Bathroom." Rory answered not looking at Rob. "Oh, she's right there." Rob turned around and saw Winnie approaching.

"Hey sweetie." Rob said giving Winnie a quick kiss. She smiled apprehensively.

"Well?" Rory asked nervously. Winnie nodded and Rory's eyes widened. She couldn't help but give her friend a tight hug. Rob and Mark looked on confused.

"Hey Mark." They all turned to look, and standing there was a 5'3'' woman with a delicate face, red choppy short hair, and brown eyes. She looked about 24 and was very pretty.

"Hey Laur, I want you to meet one of my friends and coworkers, Winnie Brenner and that's Rob, Winnie's husband. And you've already met Rory." Laura smiled and shook each of their hands.

"You still look familiar." Rory said looking at Laura. Laura smiled and thought for a moment.

"I don't know…I still can't place you." Laura said, taking a good look at Rory. Then her eyes widened, as she thought of something. "Oh! I recently started to work near the market place if you're ever around there."

"I don't think so, but now I know where to look." Rory said smiling, as Laura smiled and nodded.

"Well it was nice meeting you Laura, but Rob and I have to get back home." Winnie said suddenly.

"Alright, nice meeting you too." Laura said shaking their hands once more.

"See ya, Winnie." Mark said waving goodbye. Rory was sitting next to him on a barstool, watching her friends walk out of the bar.

"So what was that whole hug thing about?" Mark asked, as he turned back to Rory.

"I can't tell you that. Ask Winnie tomorrow, but it's very exciting and it has to do with what we were talking about this morning." Mark thought and then smiled.

"Oh man, that's _wicked_." Mark said. Laura rolled her eyes.

"I really hope the wicked thing is a phase." Laura said laughing.

"He doesn't say it too much in the office, but ya know, it does slip sometimes." Rory said nudging Mark.

"Ok, so Winnie's pregnant. She said she was going to tell him once she was positive. I think that's why they left, so she could tell him tonight." Rory supplied. Laura smiled.

"Aww that's really great. Tell them I say congratulations." Laura said sweetly. Rory was surprised. Laura was _very_ different from Lesley. She seemed to actually be intelligent and was genuinely sweet.

"I will. I should get going to too. I'll see you tomorrow Mark, and it was great seeing you again." She said, smiling at Laura. Laura smiled back in return.

"You too, Rory. We should do this again sometime since it was so short. Maybe you could bring your boyfriend, too?" Laura suggested. Rory was surprised she knew about Tristan. Rory nodded.

"He doesn't live in Boston, but when he's in the area, sure! That'd be cool. Bye you guys." Rory said waving and left. She unlocked her car and headed back to her apartment. As she walked in, she took off her shoes and hit the message button on her machine.

_You have two messages_

'_Hey kiddo! I just wanted to make sure you were dandy. Give me a call back sometime in the future. Mwah.'_

Next Message 

'_Hey Rory, it's me Paris. Tristan called me today and asked what your favorite flower was. So, what's your favorite flower? And shouldn't he know this if he's dating you? Whatever give me a call back.'_

_End of messages._

Rory rolled her eyes. She called Lorelai and filled her in on what was happening Saturday. Lorelai made her promise to call her as soon as they went their separate ways to tell her exactly what happened. Rory smiled and agreed. She sat down on her sofa and took a look around her apartment. She smiled. She was content. She was doing well for herself. Doing exactly what she had always dreamed of doing. Writing. She loved going to work, and not just because it was her dream job, but also because all the people she worked with or around were friendly, encouraging, and hardworking. Especially Sven, who had grown up poor, but made a very comfortable life for himself and his family over the years. Her thoughts were broken when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Rory answered, letting out a small yawn.

"So he knows." She heard Winnie say through the phone. Rory smiled widely.

"Well…?" Rory asked expectantly.

"I had to beg him to let me go into work tomorrow. Pretty much, the basic idea is that he's incredibly happy, won't leave me alone about it, is planning some sort of celebration right now-which is why I'm able to talk to you right now, keeps kissing me, keeps smiling, and really although I expected all of this, it's sort of sickening." Winnie said with amusement in her voice. Rory grinned.

"Well, Winnie that's really awesome! I'm incredibly happy for you both." Rory responded happily.

"Yea, yea, you just want to be an aunt." Winnie joked.

Rory gasped in mock surprise. "Oh no! You've found me out!" The two laughed.

"Look, I have to go, but I just thought I'd call and let you know the 411." Winnie said as she continued to laugh.

"Alright, so then I'll be seeing you tomorrow, same time?" Rory asked, smiling.

"Hah, no! I swear, Rob is worse than my mom. He's going to drive me to work tomorrow. He claims that now that I'm pregnant, I'm too delicate to be riding in the car with you." Winnie said in exasperation. Rory however knew that her friend was loving every minute of it.

"_Hey_!" Rory said in mock hurt, and once again, both women broke out in laughter.

"I know, I know. Just give it a week, and you'll have your car pool buddy back. Promise." Winnie said placatingly.

"Alright, but only a week." Rory said smiling.

"See ya tomorrow, Gilmore." Winnie said, still laughing.

"Yea, you too, Brenner." Rory said and hung up the phone. She shook her head and smiled as she made her way to her bedroom to get some sleep.

**A/N: The vote clearly suggests that this story should go up in rating to "M", so that it will. Be patient, as I'm not great at it, but I will do my darndest to make it steamy. :0) Thanks to everyone who voted/reviewed. You guys are A-MAZING! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

MarieCherry: Aww are you okay? Not a useless review, and don't worry about forgetting. Ha, you wouldn't believe how much I forget in such a short time!

Alenor

Kylie1403

Sea4Shoes

rhit!

Fallen Heart

Callista Wolfwood

photobooth romance

sugary sweet and sour

nancy

Tonje: No…but he can't be around for my idea to work. I hate separating them.

riotgirllina

FairyGirl07: Have you ever seen Titanic? Jack's friend (I think) is named Sven. Anyway, say "seven" but don't say the first "e". Or just say the first "e" really quickly. I wanna say that it's a german name, but I'm not sure. Hope that helps!

EEL0404

SmilesAreAllINeed

i die without you

luvablemilo

whatdoyouwant: Hmm, it's not Paris, and it will be a woman. More details will come.

krazygurl: Huh, I hadn't thought of that! Well I'll do more than one I guess.

RositaLG

ohmss77

sab

Gilmorefan31

Mamashirl

fad


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident.

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Fourteen:

Rory woke up the next morning and went to work alone. It felt really strange coming to work alone. She'd gotten used to having Winnie around in the mornings, since they started carpooling shortly after Rory got her job. It was how Rory and Winnie became such good friends. She parked her car and slowly made her way to her office. When she walked into her office, she was a bit surprised to see Mark was sitting in her chair. He was just sat there in his white button up shirt, staring off into space. He never wore a tie, and Sven more often than not, pointed it out. He still hadn't noticed she had walked in. When she dropped her purse on her desk, he jumped.

"God, you scared me!" Mark said blinking.

"Yes, well, it's not everyday that someone comes into work to see one of their colleagues just…sitting there, staring at nothing." Rory pointed out.

"I'm not just sitting here and staring at nothing…" he defended. Rory gave him a look. "Okay, maybe I was, but I didn't get too much sleep last night."

"Why?" She asked giving him the same knowing look.

"I dunno…I'm just out of it. Just don't mind me today." He said as he attempted to stand up, but failed.

"I guess I'm just going to have to stay in here." Rory gave him a funny look.

"Like hell you are! I'm swamped with work!" Rory said attempting to pull him up. She gave up soon after.

"Fine, stay here, just don't make any noise." Mark grinned and shut his eyes. Rory rolled her eyes and sat down at her desk, immediately blocking him out and diving into the articles she hadn't done the night before. About twenty minutes later she heard Mark clearing his throat, a bit too loudly, over and over again, making her break her concentration.

Rory looked up annoyed. "What?" She practically growled. He shrugged.

"So you see Tristan tomorrow, right?" He asked, trying to make conversation. Rory glared at him.

"Did you not hear my speech about me having a lot of work to do?" She admonished.

"Nah, I did, I just got bored trying to go to sleep." He said, waving his arm around dismissively. She rolled her eyes. "Plus the sound of your sighs and groans are keeping me awake."

"Thanks, I love you too." She said sarcastically.

"Aww…you _love_ me? I knew you really loved me, deep down." He said while tapping a hand over his heart. Rory scoffed.

"Will you let me get back to work now?" She bit out, trying to ignore his presence.

"Oh, well you never answered my question." He said, smugly.

"I'm going to call Sven in here in a second." She warned.

"Okay, I'll shut up!" He said putting his hands up telling her that he surrendered.

"Thank you, and yes I see Tristan tomorrow." She said nodding to him in thanks, then attempted to look back at her work.

"Are you excited? Laura says she really likes the Twisted Pleasure by Trojan condoms, you should pick some up." Rory narrowed her eyes.

"I swear you're _gay_." She said seriously.

"Metro sexual." Mark said with a pointed look.

"Whatever, either way, you shouldn't tell me these things. It's weird." She said, with a shiver in semi-mock disgust.

"For who? You or me?" He said with a smirk on his face.

"Hey guys!" They both looked to the door to see Winnie with a huge smile on her face.

"Did you just get here?" Rory asked looking at her watch. Winnie nodded.

"You should tell Rob that you appreciate this protective thing, but it doesn't work when he makes you late for work." Rory said trying to sound upset, but unable to keep from smiling. Winnie shrugged and continued to smile. Winnie stood there for a minute before shaking her head and talking in Mark.

"Mark, why are you sitting in Rory's chair looking like you just woke up?" she said when she realized his position in the office.

"He did. And he's bugging me. Just told me about those Twisted Pleasure condoms and how they seem to be a real hit." Rory said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she began to go over her work once again.

"Oh yea, they're amazing. Does Laura prefer them?" Winnie asked talking to Mark. He shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Probably, but we usually just go with the regular kind most of the time." Winnie nodded.

"Can I get back to work now?" Rory asked, looking between the two of them in disbelief that they were having this conversation in her presence. They both nodded and looked at her.

"I guess." Mark said shrinking down into his hair. It was silent for a while before Winnie raised an eyebrow after taking in the scene before her.

"I totally missed something." She stated.

"Mhmm." Rory murmured focusing on her work.

"You didn't miss anything." Mark informed her. "Right Rory?"

"Uh yea." She said not paying attention. Mark and Winnie smiled widely.

"You know, Rory your office is looking pretty bare. You should post some Led Zeppelin posters in here, or maybe some From First To Last ones. Definitely get some Atreyu and some Rise Against." Mark suggested seriously.

"Sure I'll get on that." Rory said staring at her computer screen. Winnie and Mark almost burst out laughing. Rory wasn't a fan of Rock and definitely not Metal.

"Oooh! Maybe some Britney Spears? Oh, forget that! Get some Christina Aguilera ones when she's in her _Dirrty_ outfit." Winnie added. Rory nodded. Winnie and Mark couldn't help but laugh. Mark got up and slowly made his way to her desk with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Ya know Rory, I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but I've liked you for a really long time, and well…would you go out with me on Saturday?" He asked with mock nervousness.

"Anytime." She said as she continued to type.

"Really? Cause I mean, I've always loved you. Really, I have. From the moment I saw you, all I wanted to do was kiss you and get you in the sack." He continued, nodding his head as he watched for a reaction.

"We should schedule something." She said automatically, and not realizing to what she'd just said. Mark and Winnie burst out laughing as Rory obliviously continued her work.

"Quiet down a little." She said before returning to her work. The pair watched as Rory's desk phone rang and she picked it up, robotically.

"Gilmore." She said distractedly.

"I miss you, Mary." Tristan said sweetly.

"I miss you too, but I have work, so can I call you back?" She asked furiously pressing the backspace button on her keyboard.

"I'm hurt, you haven't talked to me in two days and you're putting work before me?" He whined in mock hurt. It took Rory a moment to hear his voice before she realized who she was speaking to. She immediately stopped looking at her screen and shook her head.

"Is that really you?" she asked smiling.

"No, it's my conscience." She heard the voice deadpan. "Who else calls you Mary?" he said indignantly. Rory smiled even wider. Mark and Winnie looked on shocked.

"Hey." She said biting her lip as she smiled.

"Hi. I miss you babe, looking forward to tomorrow?" He asked, the smile on his face mirroring hers.

"Of course! I haven't been able to celebrate your birthday for the past four years. Oh no! Tristan, I have some catching up to do!" Rory gasped. She heard him chuckle through the phone.

"You in my life again is enough." He said sweetly and softly.

"Sweet talker." She said in between fake coughs. He laughed.

"So you're at work?" he asked.

"Yup, you are too?" she said, sending the question back.

"Nah, I had today off. Was told it was because my birthday is tomorrow and I quote, 'Been working too hard to not get any breaks'. At least that's what they say."

"You do work really hard." Rory said agreeing.

"That's her boyfriend, right?" Mark whispered. Winnie nodded.

Mark nodded and continued whispering to Winnie, both of their eyes still fixated on the unaware Rory. "How come it took her less than 2.6 seconds to forget about work when he calls, but in more than a 10 minute period she doesn't realize that we told her to hang up Metal and Pop posters, I proclaimed my undying love for her and how I've wanted to bed her since I met her,_ and_ she forgot we're here?" Mark ranted in one breath.

Winnie shrugged, "Beats me."

"And everything else that has a brain." Mark said blankly. Winnie grunted in agreement. Rory took her eyes off the desk and realized that Winnie and Mark were watching in fascination.

"I may have spoken too soon on her forgetting we were here." Mark said as an after thought when Rory shot them a confused look.

"Rory?" Rory shook her head and brought her attention back to her phone call.

"Huh? Sorry." She said frowning.

"It's okay. I've only been saying your name for the past 25 minutes." Tristan said smirking. Rory cocked an eyebrow.

"It's been less than five since I picked up the phone." Rory pointed out.

"Shh." He hushed her. "I want it to be longer so I feel more fulfilled after talking to you before you're yelled at by your coworkers or boss and you are forced to hang up." He explained. Rory grinned and laughed quietly. She glanced towards Mark and Winnie who were still standing there listening to her side of the conversation.

"Oh, don't worry. They're too busy eavesdropping to yell at me or make me get off." She said throwing them a look. The two smiled sheepishly, but made no attempts of giving her privacy.

"What?" Tristan asked confused.

"They were in here when you called, and have yet to leave." Rory said licking her lips as she traced the corner of her desk.

"I see." He said laughing unsure.

"I wouldn't be worried, although Mark_ did_ just profess his love for me." She said shooting Mark a smirk that looked much like something that would appear on Tristan's face. Mark's eyes widened dramatically, as Winnie failed to hold back her enjoyment and ended up laughing out loud.

"Uhh, are you sure that's something you're supposed to tell me?" Tristan asked cringing, but his eyes still danced with amusement. Rory smiled.

"Don't worry, he has a girlfriend, and I've got you. Plus, I wasn't supposed to hear him say that." Rory said, the smirk remaining as she watched Mark nod his head furiously in agreement.

"So if you heard that, what else did you hear?" Winnie asked when she was able to breathe again, having laughed really hard.

Rory moved the mouthpiece away from her mouth, "I didn't hear it until you two started to whisper about how I missed everything you two said. I only caught the end." Rory said and then moved the phone back over her mouth.

"Are you sure you're not having too much fun? I mean people usually go to work to do_ work_." Tristan teased. Rory laughed.

"Yea, well it's impossible to do anything when these two are around." She joked and gave them a smile to let them know she really didn't mind.

"I know what that's like. When you're down this weekend I'll have to introduce you to a few of my buddies who I work with at the hospital." Rory smiled happily.

"Sounds good." The phone line was silent for a few seconds.

"So, Mary…" Tristan started.

"Yes?" She asked raising her eyebrows at the nickname.

"So, what are you wearing?" he asked thoughtfully in a sultry tone. Rory's eyes widened as her cheeks reddened to a very visible pink.

"Tristan!" Rory squeaked, embarrassed.

"What? I just wanted to know what you wore to work today." Tristan said innocently, but smirking nonetheless.

"There are people in my office!" She admonished, still blushing.

"Well then put me on speakerphone so they know that if you were here right now, I'd kiss you on your peach colored lips, and then I'd gently bite down on your bottom lip before I placed feather light kisses on your chin and continue to your neck where I'd find that sensitive spot and bite down…" Rory's face quickly began to become a deeper shade of red. Before he could embarrass her more, she quickly interrupted him.

"TRISTAN!" She screeched burying her head in her arms so Winnie and Mark wouldn't see her fully reddened cheeks, although they didn't have to see her to know.

"Am I embarrassing you?" He asked grinning.

"You're a jerk." She whined. He chuckled.

"I'm sorry. You forgive me?" he asked.

"Fine." Rory groaned, but she had a smile playing at her lips. She felt the blushing go down as she lifted her head. Winnie made a gesture saying it was still there but less noticeable than before.

"So what are we doing for my birthday?" he asked.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" She replied, realizing that she really didn't have anything planned besides spending time with him.

"Be with you?" He answered sweetly. Rory smiled at that.

"Okay, and besides that." She said, twisting the phone cord around her fingers.

"I dunno. You pick." He said grinning.

"Okay." Rory looked up and without thinking, she continued. "Rory Gilmore, can you please hold?"

"Wha…" Tristan was quickly cut off.

"Thank you." Rory pressed the 'hold' button and put the receiver down before turning back to her computer.

"Utelle! Brenner! Why aren't you working?" The two turned around to see Sven standing there, not looking very happy.

"We were uhh…just…" Mark began to ramble.

"Yea, and then we umm…" Winnie said, trying to fill in the blanks.

"Save it. Gilmore why are you flushed?" He looked at Rory now.

"Uhh, I'm really burning up! It's so _hot_ in here." She said, reacting quickly and got out of her chair, before turning a dial on the nearby thermostat.

"What are you talking about? It's freezing in here!" Sven argued.

"I don't know. I must be getting sick." Rory said shrugging and used her hand as a fan.

"Get better over the weekend." He demanded and then turned to face her colleagues. "You two work,_ now_! I'm shutting your door, Gilmore. We don't all enjoy being frozen." He grumbled and ushered the two out and shut her door on the way out. Rory let out a deep breath and walked back to her desk. She saw the red 'hold' light flashing. She let a small smile come back to her face as she picked the receiver back up and pressed the 'hold' button.

"Tristan?" She asked, worried he may have hung up.

"Yea, I'm here Miss. '_Rory Gilmore, can you please hold_'. Care to explain?" He asked in an amused tone.

"My boss came into my office. I'm currently on his radar because of my extended absence, although he still received all articles, but whatever." Rory said trailing off.

"Got it. So your boss is gone then, I presume?" He asked, a smirk once again gracing his features.

"You presume right." She answered brightly.

"And your colleagues?" He asked.

"Sven kicked them out." She responded.

"Sven?" He questioned quirking an eyebrow.

"My boss. Weird guy. He insists we all call him Sven, but then can't seem to get past the concept of calling all of us by our last names." She heard Tristan laugh softly.

"So then you're all alone?" He asked, his voice suddenly getting lower.

"That would be correct." Rory said nodding.

"So, what_ are_ you wearing?" He asked, once again resuming the sultry tone he had adopted early in the conversation.

Rory smiled. He_ never_ gives up! "How detailed do you want it?" She said, in her own sultry voice.

"Everything, I want to know_ everything_." His voice sent shivers down her spine. She bit her lip.

"Well, I have a bra and underwear on. Stockings, low brown heels, a slip, cream knee length layered skirt, brown short sleeve shirt." There was a pause.

"Tristan?" She asked, when he didn't say anything.

"Hang on, I'm visualizing." She was silent. "How tight is the shirt? What kind of underwear? Lacy bra? Make up? What color stockings?" He listed off as he sat back, trying to picture her.

"Um, my bra is satin with a lace border," she started, speaking softly so no one but Tristan could hear her. "The shirt is form fitting, nude stockings, lipstick and mascara. What was the other one?" Rory answered, knowing that he wouldn't stop asking until she told him.

"Hmm? Oh! Your panties. Tell me about those." He said with a delighted smirk.

"They're light blue, cotton, bikini cut." She answered lightly.

"So no thong or g-string?" He asked mischievously.

Rory blushed, "No."

"And you couldn't have lied and just told me you were?" he whined, breaking the mood.

"You mean like telling you I'm actually _not_ wearing any underwear?" Rory asked seriously.

"Please tell me you're wearing_ something_." He said groaning.

"And if I'm not?" She asked smirking, liking that the tables seemed to have turned.

"Baby, you're driving me crazy!" Tristan groaned. Rory smiled.

"I aim to please, honey." She said sweetly.

"Don't worry, you're pleasing me, even if you don't know it." Rory blushed again. She looked at the clock on her wall and groaned.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned at her little outburst.

"I have a meeting in five minutes." She said pouting.

"So you have to leave now?" He asked sadly.

"I probably should." She responded, feeling sad that they couldn't talk longer.

"Okay, but do you have a minute? I need to ask you something. If not, I can wait until tomorrow." He asked quickly.

"Nah, it's okay. Go ahead, what is it?" She asked curiously.

"Well I was thinking, and I just wanted to make sure that you know that tomorrow or Sunday when you're here, I'm not…expecting anything from you." He said hesitantly.

"Oh." Rory stuttered with realization.

"Yea, so I just wanted to make sure you knew that, and I would never think of pressuring you or anything. I mean, I know how you feel about it, and the last thing I'd want from this weekend is you leaving feeling awkward." He said sincerely. Rory's heart almost melted. Almost.

"Thank you, that means a lot Tristan." She said slowly.

"Sure. I just needed to make sure you knew that." He said relieved that he had said what he needed to say.

"I did, and I do." She answered with a small smile on her face.

"Good."

"I need to go now, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She responded, trying to sound happy.

"Yes you will." He replied, happily, and she smiled.

"I love you Tristan."

"I love you too, Rory. Now go be stellar in that meeting of yours." Rory smiled at his words.

"I'll try. And you should try not to be too productive today. I mean I know how you are when you get free time. All you do is study, study, and study." Rory said teasingly. Tristan laughed.

"I'll try not to. I'll see ya later." He said.

"You too." Rory said grinning as she hung up the phone. She thought about the last part of their conversation, and she was surprised and happy when her smile didn't fade at all. Learn to love. Check. Learn to keep a smile. Check. Learn to not run away. Check.

**A/N: Next chapter smut? Oh yes. Please be patient as I write the next chapter. I'll try and make it long, steamy, and mushy. They deserve it:0)**

MarieCherry: lol, I always say 'yay' so not apologes needed. :0) And I believe a congratulations is needed. Pretty awesome! What play? What part?

princetongirl

Sea4Shoes

Wouldn'tItBeLoverly: Yea, it's Scandinavian as well as the ones you put. And thank you, it's fun to write the extra people. :0)

iluvpuppy

piper-h-99: LOL, I could, but that'd be sorta weird I guess. And you gave me those stories, so that should help too. Thanks by the way!

gilmore16girl

KarahBella

gingerspice: supersonic…haha. Sorry, that's awesome. :0) Yea, I checked, and it was mostly Scandinavian, but I also found Russian.

Tonje

EEL0404

Alenor: It won't be something too dramatic. :0)

nomoreq-ns.JUST.ANS.s

Kylie1403

Kat86: I know, but I put some in this chapter so I hope that'll hold you over…my mind is always in the gutter! LOL, so hopefully this M chapter will be up to standards.

FairyGirl07: Sure, you're welcome! And I haven't decided too much about what'll happen with Laura, so we'll see. Do you want to see a lot more of her?

Spreeaholic1

LoVe23: lol of course! Sleep is amazing. Try it. :0) Thanks!

kellieko

photobooth romance

Mongoose 187

Fallen Heart: LOL, not really…but I still love the movie Titanic, so even though I have no idea what they're saying, I still enjoy it. Are you fluent? And thank you. :0)

SonnyCarlyJasonCourtney


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident.

MAJOR THANKS TO:

LoVe23, my amazing beta, who helped me out so much with this chapter, and was ALWAYS there when I needed to bounce off ideas and when I needed a boost of confidence. Thank you so so so so so so so so MUCH! LOL, if you didn't know, I'm really thankful. :0)

Piper-h-99, who gave me a bunch of stories to look at for ideas on how to do the sex scene. It was a lot of help, so thank you!

Please enjoy, and thank you!

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DETAILED SEXUAL CONTENT.

Chapter Fifteen:

The drive up seemed to go on forever. Rory could've sworn the clock was broken, and if the clock truly were right, she would have gotten to Hartford hours ago. She sighed as she passed a road sign saying the correct time. She'd only been on the road for an hour, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she starting passing familiar landmarks. The radio was playing softly and she decided to pass the time, by listening to music. She turned up the radio and listened to the words mutely as she concentrated on the road. As she got off the highway, she smiled at the trees that were now fully in bloom. She tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear as she turned onto one of the main Hartford roads. Although she'd been to his place before, she had quickly used map quest to get the directions.

The previous night, Rory had managed to get off work a little early to spend some of her evening shopping for presents. She hadn't found much, but what she managed to get seemed special to her. In her quest for buying presents, she remembered how hard he was to shop for. She knew what he liked, but he was the kind of person that opted for trips to Kohl's and Target for anything he needed instead of specialized stores with a more focused type of product.

Up until this point, Rory hadn't thought too much about actually seeing him today. Yea, she had thought about things to do, and what they might do, etc… but she hadn't actually thought of what would happen when she knocked on his door. She smiled, thinking about seeing him again. It had only been a week, but still, she really missed him. 'A week.' She sighed at the thought. It hadn't even been a week and she missed him like crazy. How she was going to survive 6 months without him was beyond her.

An unconscious grin made its way to Rory's face when she pulled into the parking garage of Tristan's building. She saw his car in spot 76, and parked in the empty one next to it. She hoped the occupants who owned the spot wouldn't mind. Well, at least not too much. She left her overnight bag in the car, and made her way to the garage elevator. When the doors opened, she saw a familiar man come off.

"Dr. Mason?" Rory said surprised. He turned when he heard his name and smiled when he saw Rory.

"Rory! Wow, it's good to see you again." He said as he gave her a friendly hug.

"Yea." Rory said nodding.

"Oh, and its Jeff." He said backtracking. Rory smiled and nodded.

"Okay, Jeff." She said testing the name.

"So how are you doing?" He asked.

"I have my sad moments, but overall, pretty good I guess." She said giving him a sad smile.

"That's good. So what are you doing here, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked looking back at the elevator he just stepped out of.

"Well, today is Tristan's birthday and since he's going on that medical trip, I figured I'd see him once again before he leaves." She said shyly, as Jeff nodded.

"Well, he earned it." Jess said proudly.

"I'm sure he did." Rory agreed smiling widely, eager to see Tristan again.

"So…I don't want to keep you. Enjoy your stay, and I hope you come and visit from time to time." Jeff said giving her a warm smile.

"I will, and thanks." Rory said returning the smile, before they turned their separate ways. As the elevator climbed, so did the movement in her stomach. She wasn't sure why, but butterflies had decided to make their appearance. She was glad when she heard the 'ding' indicating his floor. She stopped right outside his door, as she read the metal plate. 4D. She sighed and shut her eyes when she heard footsteps. She opened her eyes and saw the older woman she had seen last time she was standing outside Tristan's door.

"Hello dear. So, you don't remember? You have to knock hard like this so they can hear you." She scolded and once again demonstrated how you should knock on a door. Rory gave a weak smile.

"Must have slipped my mind." Rory said deadpanned. The woman shook her head as she walked away.

"I tell you, they keep getting dumber and dumber." She muttered. Rory gaped at the woman's back and opened and closed her mouth in shock. She remained somewhat in her shocked state even when she heard Tristan open the door and start talking.

"Are you okay?" She turned to him and nodded mutely.

"Are you sure?" he asked smiling widely at her face. She nodded again. He shrugged.

"So…" He started. Rory's face changed into a happy one as she grinned at Tristan.

"Hi." Rory said softly. Tristan's smile grew wider as he reached out for her and hugged her tightly. Rory pulled back a little and pulled his head down to meet her in a soft, warm kiss.

"Come on in." He said lacing his fingers through hers and pulling her through the door frame. He shut the door and immediately pushed her up against it invading her mouth thoroughly. A soft moan came from her mouth as he pulled back and moved his mouth to her neck.

"Tristan." She sighed as her eyes rolled back. He moved his head back slightly and gently kissed the newly formed bruise. He trailed kisses up her neck and nipped at her lips. She tangled her hands in his hair as he brushed his swollen lips over hers.

"That was quite the hello kiss." Rory pointed out.

"Well, a woman like you deserves kisses like that." He said as he moved his eyes over her body. Her cheeks heated up. He laughed softly and ran his fingers over her cheek. She bit her lip.

"How was your trip?" He asked pulling back.

"It was okay, it seemed like it took a long time, but I think it's just because I wanted to see you." Rory admitted. He grinned.

"So I'd be assuming right if I said that you missed me?" He said smugly. Rory scoffed at his words.

"Missed? I _ached_ for you." She admitted willingly. His grin widened.

"Well, I ached for you too." He said, happy to have her here with him. Rory's grin matched Tristan's.

"So you've got me alone in your apartment. What now?" She said, with a smirk.

"Oh baby, anything you want." He said seductively. She chuckled and moved out of his grasp.

"Well something to drink would be nice." She said plainly, as though he didn't have her breathless only seconds before. He playfully frowned, but smiled again when Rory held his hand and walked with him to the kitchen. He watched her move around his kitchen.

"So tell me why, when I answered the door, you looked like you had just seen something overly disturbing." He said as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

She groaned, but smiled nonetheless. "Last time I was here…well the morning I came here to talk about…what had happened…I had been standing outside your door for awhile and this old lady came up to me and told me I had to knock hard. She knocked on your door for me actually. She seemed sincere, so I guess it was okay. But just before, I was standing outside your door, bracing myself, and out of nowhere she appears. She berated me about not remembering how to 'knock on a door' properly, and then said to no one as she walked away that they keep getting dumber and dumber." Tristan laughed heartily but stopped when he took in Rory's frown.

"It's not funny." She said pouting.

"A little." He answered the smile still on his face. She grumbled.

"So how many girlfriends have you brought here?" Tristan cocked his head, somewhat surprised by her question.

"Well, would you like to know the number of girlfriends I've actually dated, or the ones I make up so I feel like my love life isn't as pathetic as it really is?" He said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Your love life…pathetic? What, that was a joke, right?" Rory said letting out a soft laugh.

"I don't have a lot of free time with interning, so yea, it hurts, but my love life is pretty sad." He answered seriously.

"Well the real ones then." She said as she approached him and leaned against the counter facing him.

"Okay, that would be a grand total of five women." He said.

"Per month?" She said, a look of shock clear on her face. He laughed.

"No, since I've had this apartment. So in about four years." He said lightly, but completely serious.

"Wow, you've lost your touch I'm afraid." She teased.

"Oh, we'll see about that Miss. Gilmore." He said in a deep voice as he stepped directly in front of her. She giggled.

"Happy Birthday." She said softly.

"Thank you. So where's that birthday kiss?" He asked, smirking. Rory laughed and thought back to college. Each birthday, he would ask her for his birthday kiss and she would give him a kiss on his cheek.

"Well lucky for you, it's your birthday, so a birthday kiss is in order." He grinned happily. She kissed him softly on the cheek. When she pulled back he scowled at her.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"That was okay when you were dating Limo boy, but I believe a kiss on the cheek just doesn't cut it anymore." He said looking her in the eye. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Oh, really?" She asked grinning.

"Yea, you gotta give me one right here." He said touching his finger to his lips.

"I didn't agree to that." She said mockingly.

"I'll call Mark and Winnie and tell them some of your college secrets." He threatened, and fought back a smile at Rory's frown.

"You're a jerk." She said frowning.

"Ehh." He said waving it off dismissively.

"So…how about that kiss?" He said again, moving even closer to her. Rory laughed and swallowed.

"Fine." She said as she moved her hands up his chest and around his neck. She gave him a soft peck on the lips. He groaned.

"Mary!" He whined.

"Yes?" she answered innocently.

"I want a kiss that you actually mean." He said, practically growling.

"Oh, you mean one like this?" She asked before pulling his head down to hers and catching his partially opened mouth in her own. She gently nipped his bottom lip before pushing her tongue inside his mouth and outlining his front teeth. He groaned against her mouth as she moved one of her hands to his hair and slowly and softly rubbed the hair above the bone right behind his ear. She pressed her whole body against his as she moved her tongue further into his mouth and pressed against his tongue. He simultaneously pushed his tongue against hers harder and pushed her against the counter, pushing his arousal into her stomach. She broke away and kissed him again softly before pulling away completely, breathing hard.

"How was that?" She asked shyly.

"I'd like a repeat." He said also breathing hard. Rory smiled.

"Maybe later." He grinned.

"Just give me some teasers in between." Rory laughed.

"That is such a Tristan thing to say." She said, slapping him lightly on the chest.

"Well, my name is Tristan. Ya know, in case you forgot." He said sarcastically. Rory chuckled.

"Nah, I can remember names, unlike some people." She said playfully.

"You like the name 'Mary'! I don't remember the last time you complained about it. Plus, I know your real name!" He countered, as Rory smiled. She was really happy that she was with him.

"I know." She placed her head on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat.

"I don't want you to go." She said softly. He sighed and rested a hand on her back.

"I know baby." He said, tightening his hold on her.

"I mean, I want you to go. I told you that, I just wish it were closer." She said, enjoying the feel of his arms around her.

"It's only a few months." He said trying to placate her.

"Yea, a few months. A few months that adds up to half a year, Tristan." She said sadly.

"They'll go by quickly." He said, but they both knew he was trying to ease his own sadness as well as hers. "And we can talk whenever we want. We can email, too."

"What if you meet some pretty girl over there, and you fall in love or something and forget about me?" She said petulantly. He sighed again. She was doubting herself again.

"Rory, I want you to listen to me okay?" he asked pulling away slightly. He continued when he saw her nod. "I love you, okay? That's not just going to go away. You already know what I want, and I don't see that changing. No pretty woman or any woman for that matter will get in between us. I hate how you doubt yourself so much. Why is it so hard for you to accept that people like you, because you're you? That I _love_ you, and I love everything about you and I think you're the most amazing person I've ever met?" He asked softly and curiously.

"That whole being scared thing, I guess. Afraid that one day, I won't be able to love you like I do now." She admitted looking away.

"Hey," he started cupping her cheek and forcing her to look at him. "No matter what happens, I will always love you. And no matter what happens to us you can always love me like you do now. Nothing should stop that, okay?" She nodded.

"What can I do to prove it to you?" He asked. Rory shrugged.

"I think this is just something I have to learn on my own. But I am learning. I'm getting better." She said, looking up at him.

"I know. I can see the difference from our time at Yale to now. I can see how much you've grown." He said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm trying, relationships are hard. In the past they didn't seem to go well, and I feel like my relationship with you is like therapy." She said. Tristan let out a small laugh.

"Well no girlfriend of mine has ever referred to it as that, but sure, why not? I'm happy to help you." He said rubbing her back. She gave a small smile. He returned it and kissed her gently letting his promise and love seep through onto her lips. He pulled back and she swore she could taste it.

"Thank you." She said. He nodded.

"Of course." They were quiet for awhile.

"Do you have any food around here?" She said, feeling her stomach grumble.

"No, I don't eat. I much prefer to starve." He said sarcastically. Rory gave him a light push.

"Of course, I have food. _And_ I knew you were coming so I couldn't have an empty refrigerator or cabinets without junk food. Just wouldn't be ethical to do that when I'm hosting a Gilmore." Rory grinned widely. She looked through his fridge and cabinets before turning back to him.

"I kind of feel like going out and getting something to eat." She announced. Tristan laughed and nodded.

"Alright, let's go. Where to?" He said, walking towards the door.

"Your birthday, you pick." She said as she picked up her purse.

"How about some ice cream?" He suggested.

"It's like you read my mind! Let's go!" Rory said happily as they walked to the ice cream place hand in hand. Before Tristan could pay, Rory had put a five-dollar bill on the counter.

"It's your birthday, I'm paying." Rory said firmly. He laughed and grabbed her hand once again with his free hand as they started to walk again.

"So how was your week?" Tristan asked.

"It was pretty good. My boss is being overly demanding, but Mark and Winnie are helping to lower my work level so that's a plus." She said happily.

"You like them a lot." Tristan mentioned.

"Yea, I mean Winnie is a doll. Whenever you need her, she's there. Like after I left your place when you made that comment, I called her. I'm also friendly with her husband. And Mark, well…he's Mark. I can't really explain him. He's like Jess, but more like me. He's the kind of person that if you're in a bad mood, he'll cheer you up. He's a coffee addict too." Rory said grinning. Tristan groaned.

"You don't need anymore coffee addicts in your life, Rory. Trust me on that one." He said, giving her a pointed look. She laughed.

"So, how was your week?" She asked.

"Up and down. It was going okay and then I found out about the England trip and it got a lot better, and then I thought about you and not seeing you for 6 months and then it sucked and I couldn't wait to see you." He said sincerely. Rory looked up at him and moved closer.

"I got you some presents. There wasn't a lot I found, but what I did I couldn't resist buying." Rory said changing the subject to something lighter.

"Presents? You mean you coming here wasn't my present?" He asked. Rory smiled.

"Well, it was, but there's more." She said sitting on a nearby bench. Tristan sat close.

"Oh yea? Like whipped cream?" He asked grinning.

"No, you sex-addict." Rory said teasing. He laughed.

"What about ice cream?" He asked, smirking.

"You have ice cream." She responded, with a raised brow.

"Yea, but I'd rather you be my cone, any day." He said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Yea, well I'd prefer if you left me whole and didn't eat me." Rory said sarcasm in her voice. He smiled and took his spoon and smeared ice cream on her chin. She screeched at the cold sensation going through her skin. He took that moment to lower his head and slowly lick all the ice cream off her chin. He kissed her wet chin and moved his lips to her lips. She moaned softly into his mouth and she moved closer to him. She felt tingling as he ran his hand down her arm and then slowly rubbed her thigh.

"I love you." She said in between kisses. He pulled back after giving her another quick kiss.

"I love you too." He said when they separated. They smiled at each other with goofy grins and stood up. They threw away their empty cups and continued to walk. As they continued to walk, she looked inside a store window and gasped.

"What's wrong?" He asked, worried. She didn't answer but instead pulled him inside the store and went straight for the sales lady.

"The thing in the window. Do you have anymore of those?" She asked determinedly. The woman took a quick glance and nodded.

"Yea, we do, but they're going fast." She led them over to a few lone shelves. Tristan looked confused. He looked the stacks of scarves and then looked where Rory was looking. His eyes went wide as he saw her pick up a stuffed animal dog. She turned to him with it and held it out for him to take.

"I saw a lady in Boston carrying one and she told me the shop she got it at. By the time I got there they were sold out. So here, this is another present for you." Tristan stared at her as he hesitantly took the stuffed animal. He stared at it for a while before looking back at Rory.

"Rory, how…?" He said in awe. Rory shook her head.

"You loved that thing. I still feel bad about taking it." He gingerly touched it as he turned it every way he could. It was the exact same. The same stuffed dog Rory had gotten him his birthday five years earlier, and the same dog she'd accidentally given a thrift shop.

"It wasn't your fault." He said.

"I know, but I still feel bad." He smiled and gave her a tight hug. She rested her head on his chest and pulled herself closer as he kissed the top of her head.

_FLASHBACKS_

"_Happy Birthday, Tristan." Rory said handing him a bag with tissue paper overflowing out of it._

"_Thanks, Ror. What is it?" He asked smiling._

"_A stuffed animal dog named Tristan." Rory said seriously. He laughed, and opened it. He laughed when he pulled out a stuffed animal and saw the name Tristan on the tag._

"_Way to ruin the present Gilmore." He said grinning._

"_Anytime." She said, returning his grin._

"_So I trust that only you could find a stuffed animal named Tristan." He said, examining the dog._

"_Probably. Well I hope you like it." He took that moment to get more serious._

"_I do. The last stuffed animal some one ever got me was my nanny, Patty. I was seven." He said. He had a distant look in his eyes._

"_Did I do something wrong?"_

"_No, it's just that she was killed that night. Got hit by a car." He had tears in his eyes. Rory immediately regretted the stuffed animal._

"_I'm sorry, I…" She began to apologize before Tristan cut her off._

"_No, this is good. No one gets me presents like this anymore. I'm going to hold it near and dear to my heart. It will remind me of you and how you're crazy enough to buy me a stuffed dog that has the same name as me and be crazy enough to totally ruin the present." He said getting the smile back. Rory looked down and laughed._

"_Well that's me. Crazy Rory." She said grinning._

"_Come 'ere crazy." He said wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly._

"_Don't feel bad, it was a long time ago." He whispered. She nodded against his chest._

"_So, it's your birthday, let's do something!" She said cheerfully._

"_What about your boyfriend?" He said warily._

"_I left him at home. I haven't spent time with you lately. I thought we could do some one on one damage." She said brightly._

"_Did you? Well baby, I am all for that." He said running his finger down her arm. Rory scoffed and folded her arms over her chest._

"_You, Tristan Dugrey, are a sick, sick man." She said with a look of fake disgust on her face._

"_Well, at least you didn't call me a sick, sick, moo cow." He retorted._

"_Oh god, no more Family Guy for you." He grinned. She looked around and saw icing cans, opened with spoons in them._

"_Trying to overdose on sugar on your birthday?" She asked amused._

"_Nah, I figured when you came you'd be in need of sugar. And, yes you are." He said grinning wildly as he took that moment to take a nearby can of icing and smeared some of it on her nose._

"_What the—?" He grinned and cut her off by taking the spoon and running it across her forehead._

"Okay, now I'm ready to do something. Ready to go?" He asked as if she didn't have chocolate icing covering her face. She chased after him and ended up falling on top of him covering both Tristan and his stuffed dog with chocolate.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNN 

_He had turned his whole room upside down looking for that blasted thing. It showed how much it was handled but he didn't care. It was the most meaningful present he'd gotten in a long time and he would be damned if he lost it. He heard the door open and saw Rory stare at him as he rummaged through more of his stuff._

"_Have you gone mad?"_

"_No, I can't find that stuffed animal you gave me. Have you seen it?" He asked as he dumped out a box of trophies._

"_Yea, it was in that box for a thrift shop. You said everything in there was fine and you didn't want to give it all up, but you thought the sick kids would appreciate it." She said. She had been sad when she saw the dog in the pile of things to bring to the hospital thrift shop, but she thought it was what he wanted so she did it._

"_What? I wouldn't give that away! Where is it!" He asked standing up immediately._

"_Redding Hospital. When I brought it to the thrift shop, the woman saw the dog and immediately brought it to the toy room in the Children's Hospital as a donation."_

"_Why would you give that away? You gave it to me! How could you think I wouldn't still want it?" He asked with a look of desperation on his face. She knew he liked it, but she never knew how much it meant to him._

"_I'm sorry, I thought…"_

"_Yea, well you thought wrong." He said giving her one last look before pushing past her. She had gone to the store to see if she could get it back but she couldn't. She'd looked everywhere for a new one, but they were all sold out._

END FLASHBACKS 

"I still get zits from that icing." Rory said as they walked to the front. Tristan laughed.

"Uh huh sure." He said, still laughing at her.

"We're going to have to break this one in." Rory said handing the woman her credit card.

"Thanks Rory. I'm surprised you remembered." He said softly.

"A stuffed animal named Tristan? How could I forget?" She said smiling and giving him a soft kiss.

"So is this in addition to the other presents? Or because I got this one, you have to take away another one back at my place?" He asked.

"Nope, you still get them all." She said smiling at his childishness. He grinned.

"So, do you like it?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh come on. I love it." He said sweetly and hugged her tightly. She smiled happily as they continued to the apartment.

NNNNNNNNNNNNN

His apartment had wrapping paper everywhere. She had wrapped everything herself and some things she wrapped more than once since she thought the previous wrapping paper was ugly. They were currently sitting on the floor as Tristan opened his next present. He laughed to himself when he thought back to Rory saying she'd only bought him a few things. If this meant a few, he didn't want to know how many things was a lot. He unwrapped a box and took out a piece of paper with Rory's writing on it.

"This piece of paper represents an offer to go miniature golfing with your beloved Rory, anytime you feel fit too. If you lose this not so official looking voucher that will just mean that she really was never meant to play such a dangerous sport." He said reading the note aloud. He looked at her and let out a small laugh.

"There's more on the back." She said and watched as he raised his eyebrows and flipped the paper over.

"If you agree, then you also agree to help Rory golf as she doesn't do sports. If it wasn't clear, help means do it for her." He laughed and shook his head.

"You're something." He said giving her a soft kiss. "And of course I'd help you."

She laid her head on his shoulder as he moved to the last bag. This was a bag full of several items. First he pulled out a _Red Eye_ DVD. He gave her a confused look.

"Okay, _that_ one is from my mom. She wants you to watch it and see where she's coming from on the whole Rachel/Cillian thing." Rory said rolling her eyes. Tristan laughed.

"Lorelai's." He said smiling. She nodded for him to continue.

"Are you serious?" he asked smiling widely as he looked at his next present. The book _If You Give A Mouse A Cookie…_ was in his hands.

"I figured that you might enjoy that book." She said smiling.

"Yea, it's only the awesomest book ever! I have all of them but this one." He said completely serious.

"Why else do you think I got it for you? Plus, it might be referred to later." He cocked an eyebrow, but let it drop when Rory didn't provide more explanation. He stuck his hand back in the bag, and was surprised when he pulled out the next item and couldn't help but laugh.

"A Budweiser beer bottle?" He said giving her a questioning look.

"Not just any beer bottle." He looked at it and saw Rory had written something on the label. 'My First Bud'. He looked up and gave Rory a sweet smile.

"Thank you. A little strange, but you've given me stranger." He said with an amused tone. She nodded for him to go on. He took the last item out and stared.

"Rory Gilmore, do my eyes deceive me, or did you really get me Dirty Dice?" He asked smirking. She didn't shy away when she nodded. He shook his head and let out a laugh.

"This is one for the books. Dirty Dice…man that's the last thing I thought I'd get from you!" Rory smiled.

"What can I say? I'm full of all kinds of surprises." She said sweetly.

"Mhmmm." He said nodding happily.

"So what's the overall consensus of presents this year?"

"Well my overall consensus is that I have the best girlfriend in the world." He said hugging her from the side. She smiled.

"And the presents?"

"Well no matter what, I'll love them but if I didn't have to, I'd still think every single present was pretty rad. And considering what you got me…well, most of it was practical stuff that has to do with us, although I must say Dirty Dice? I don't remember anything involving them, but I'm most definitely willing to make some memories with them tonight." He said waggling his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Yea?" Rory asked looking up at him.

"Oh yea." He said as he lowered his head to catch her lips in a slow meaningful kiss. He moved one hand to cup her cheek as the other one kept her close. Rory moved against his lips situating herself on his lap. He groaned as she unconsciously rubbed herself against him. She grinned against him as she felt him go hard.

"You like that?" She asked, now purposely moving against him. He only groaned and pulled her in for another but faster and more demanding kiss. They both moaned into each other's mouths as she continued her actions, building the pressure for both of them.

"Rory, you need to stop, or everything I said to you about the sex thing will be thrown out the window." He groaned out. She answered him by grinding harder against his growing arousal. He moaned and panted out her name. His eyes went wide when he saw the lust in her eyes. She bit down in her bottom lip before hooking her legs behind his back and pulling herself down hard and kissing him roughly on the mouth. He moved his tongue swiftly into her mouth not even teasing her first. She moaned against him as she continued her actions. He slowly leaned forward, careful not to lie her down on anything. He hovered over her and she whined when she couldn't go against him anymore. He ran his hand up and down her side, aching to feel more of her. He pulled away slightly and moved kisses along her neck and bit down right below her ear. Her eyes went back as she moaned and squirmed under him.

"Tristan…" She pleaded. He pulled back completely. She gave him a confused look as he extended his hand towards her.

"I'm not about to do anything with you on my living room floor, Rory." He said trying to catch his breath. She nodded understandingly and pulled herself up. When they were both standing, Tristan looked her in the eye.

"We go as far as you're comfortable, okay?" Tristan said speaking softly. Rory nodded, slightly insulted. So it was okay for him to be ready, but not for her? She ignored his comment and allowed him to take her by the hand and lead her to his bedroom. As they neared his bed, Rory stopped him and turned him to her. He looked at her and watched as she stared at him and took off her shirt. He let his surprise show as his eyes gazed over her lacy bra, and down to her flat stomach. He groaned and pulled her against him kissing her forcefully. She moaned into his mouth as she felt the bed under back. He hovered over her once again. She leaned up to kiss him better as her hands swiftly undid his shirt and pushed it off of him. Her hands explored the exposed skin as he sighed into her mouth. He trailed short open-mouthed kisses down her neck and sucked on her collarbone. She gasped and held onto him tighter letting her head fall back.

"Tristan, my pants." She breathed as he skimmed his hand down her side and back up. He gave into her request and promptly opened her pants as she worked on his. In a frenzied state, they disposed of their pants simultaneously. He kneaded her hipbone as she rolled them somewhat so they were lying on their sides, limbs intertwined. She wrapped her legs around his waist pulled herself tightly against him.

"Rory…" He exhaled with warning. She squeezed tighter and licked her lips as she stared him in the eye.

"What?" She asked somewhat annoyed.

"You're amazing, but isn't this a little soon?" He asked breathing heavily. She looked confused.

"Technically we've only been dating for eight days. Usually couples wait a little longer to partake in activities such as the one we are currently partaking in." She nodded her understanding and bowed her head. Her legs loosened around his waist. He sighed at her disappointed face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

"I was really looking forward to just_ being_ with you." He raised his eyebrows.

"You were anticipating this?" She shrugged.

"I don't know, but I was thinking about it days before you called me." She admitted. He nodded.

"I just want to make sure we want this, okay?" He said. She nodded although she had no idea what he meant. She pulled her leg from under him and attempted to cover herself from his tempted eyes. She couldn't help but feel aggravated with him. Here she was, putting herself out there and he was refusing her. They were silent. Tristan was looking at Rory and Rory was looking at her hands. He groaned.

"I'm sorry." He sighed. She looked up.

"About what?" She said, looking up at him.

"I'm not sure, but I know I did something." He said, looking back at her.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong." Rory said giving him a small smile.

"Okay." He said, half-heartedly.

"You don't believe me?" Rory asked surprised. He shook his head.

"No, I do." She nodded and rolled her eyes. She swung her legs over the side and stood up searching for her clothes.

"What are you doing?" He asked, surprised by her sudden actions.

"Well, we're not doing anything, and I'm cold." She said pulling her jeans back up. He sighed and got up, putting his clothes back on too. When they were both dressed again, he put his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him.

"Come here." He said pulling her into a hug. She raised her eyebrows at the action but didn't protest.

"You wanna catch a movie or something?" He asked. Rory pulled away and shrugged.

"Anything good out?"

"Well, there's_ Click_, or_ Cars_, maybe_ Nacho Libre_?_ Prairie Home Companion_…that move with Al Gore in it, _An Inconvenient Truth_. There are a few to choose from." Rory nodded and thought about it. Adam Sandler, Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Meryl Streep and Lindsay Lohan, or Al Gore. He watched as she seriously thought about it. He tapped his foot and gave her a look. She smiled at his impatience.

"I'll go with Adam Sandler. That's supposed to be funny, right?" Tristan nodded. He pulled out a newspaper and checked the movie section.

"There's a 4:30 showing. By the time we get there, get tickets, and get seats it'll almost be time for the movie to start. Want to get that one?" He asked.

"Sure, I want some popcorn too." Rory said smiling.

"And then maybe when it's done, grab some dinner?" Tristan suggested.

"Sure!" Rory nodded. "But you should be careful, I know my appetite but last time, I exceeded you." Tristan chuckled, grabbed her hand and walked with her to his car.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

"What's wrong?" Tristan asked when they were in the restaurant. They'd had a really nice dinner and they had just ordered dessert when he noticed Rory had tears in her eyes.

"I'm just thinking about the movie. I mean, that has got to be one of the saddest I've seen in a long time." Rory said.

"I'll agree to that, almost had me crying." He said seriously.

"Oh, you liar! I saw you wipe your eyes once or twice!" Rory pointed out. He smiled and threw a piece of roll at her. She laughed and threw a piece back at him.

"Fine, but the only place where I really did have some tears was the father and son scene. Makes me sad that I never really had the chance to have that, ya know?" He said, somewhat wistfully.

"A little. I mean I've always had that plus so much more with my mom, but with my dad yea. Although that wasn't really by choice." She said, honestly. He nodded.

"It was a good movie. Makes me think about how much I really skip life, ya know?" She nodded.

"Makes me sad that I didn't always give my dad a chance too." She said a bit sadly. He grabbed her hand across the table.

"Hey, hey. It's my birthday, no more sad faces!" He said smiling encouragingly. She nodded and wiped away a threatening tear. Dessert came soon after. Rory took a bite of the mud pie she had gotten and her eyes lit up.

"This has got to be the most amazing cake I've ever tasted that Sookie didn't make!" Rory said swallowing and eating every last piece of it. Tristan laughed.

"Should I be jealous of Sookie?" He asked with a raised brow.

"You never had Sookie's food? Oh man, you _should_ feel jealous if you hoped to win my taste buds over, cause they _so_ belong to Sookie. Sookie is a good friend of my mom's and the best Chef in the world." Rory rambled happily. Tristan laughed and finished his own strawberry shortcake cake. She tapped her stomach satisfied as Tristan paid for the check.

"Yea, you can pay for something tonight. I'm going to go broke if I keep paying for things." She said smiling. "Plus, you were so eager to pay for the ice cream and popcorn. I couldn't take_ all_ the fun away now could I?" Rory asked teasing him. Tristan laughed and they both stood up. They walked out of the restaurant and to the car hand in hand. The ride back to his place was quiet. As they got out of the car, Rory went to her car to get the rest of her bags.

"So, we didn't really talk about this. What are the sleeping arrangements?" Rory asked shutting her trunk and hoisting the bag onto her shoulder.

"Sleeping arrangements? Well, I hadn't really thought about it. You can have my bed, and I'll take the couch." Tristan said without a thought.

"No, that's stupid. I'll take your couch. I'm only here for a night anyway. It doesn't matter." She argued as the elevator climbed.

"So if it doesn't matter, then just let me sleep on the couch." Tristan pointed out.

"No, I get the couch." She retaliated.

"No, you get my bed, I'll take the couch. That's final." Tristan said looking at her. She put her hands up in defeat and followed him through his apartment door. He put his keys on the table next to the door and took his coat off.

"So…" Tristan started.

"Well why don't we get into our pajama's and then we can paint each others nails." Rory said shrugging. He gaped at her, unsure of what to say. Rory took one look at his face and burst out laughing.

"So…you were kidding, right?" Tristan asked. Rory continued to laugh, and nodded.

"Well, it's not like you haven't used that exact line on me before and then actually_ did_ paint my nails." Tristan grumbled. Rory let the last of her laughter out and then breathed heavily, with a large smile on her face.

"Admit it, you liked when I painted your nails." She said, in a teasing voice.

"Okay, but only if you admit you don't like coffee." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Rory gasped.

"Why, that's just ridiculous!" Rory said glaring. Tristan nodded. Rory frowned.

"Point taken." She said in defeat. She looked at the clock and noticed it was just before 9pm. Time had gone by really fast, and she hoped that the six months would go by just as fast.

"It's getting late, so I guess a dance party is out of the question." Rory said. Tristan laughed and nodded. Back at Yale, when they were bored, they'd turn on music and jump to it, and occasionally sing along.

"I know this might sound funny, but how about a tour?" He asked, smiling shyly at her.

"A tour? Of what, your body?" Rory asked, raising her eyebrows. Tristan smirked.

"As much as I'm sure we'd both enjoy that, I was thinking the apartment. I know you've been here a few times, but I never gave you the full tour." Rory nodded.

"Lead the way, Tour guide Tristan." Rory said grinning. He pointed each hand in opposite directions.

"Living room and kitchen. Nothing special." He said before taking her hand and opening a door.

"Closet." Tristan started to close the door, but Rory stopped him. She bit her lip as she searched the closet.

"Okay." Rory said signaling him to move on. He continued down a short hall and pointed into another door.

"This is where I go to do research, or read, or use the computer." Rory looked in. It was a small room, with a desk, a computer and a couch. It resembled a study, but was less furnished.

"Looks business like." Rory commented as he stopped at the end.

"And you've seen my room before. Bathroom is pretty nice, but nothing spectacular. And that's it." Rory nodded.

"Typical apartment, nothing out of the ordinary. You've furnished well although I would've liked to see some more books in your study room. It's pretty tidy, with clutter in specific well lived in areas. I'd give it a…B,_ maybe_ a B plus." Rory said.

"You just rated my apartment. That wasn't part of the deal!" Tristan said. Rory shrugged.

"I went to Chilton. Of course it was part of the deal." Tristan laughed. He'd been through the torture of Chilton and the ideas they gave you about how grades were everything.

"I like it though. I mean, without the tour, I think I've seen everything but the closet and your workroom. It's quaint, but you are only one person plus your ego. So it makes sense." Rory said smiling. Tristan clutched his heart.

"I was expecting some ego insults a little earlier, but as of now you haven't let me down." Tristan said. Rory smiled. Tristan was about to say something when the phone rang.

"Sorry." He apologized as he picked up the receiver.

"Dugrey?" He answered.

"Tristan, it's Alex."

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"Nothing much, Jack and I are almost at your place. We thought we'd do some birthday damage. Make sure the doors unlocked, okay?"

"Oh well, tonight isn't..." Tristan started.

"Jack, turn that shit down. Look man, we're about to park, so we'll see ya in a few." Alex said before hanging up. Tristan was about to answer when he heard a click. He sighed and turned to Rory.

"Well?" She asked.

"Looks like you get to meet a couple of my friends tonight. I was going to have you just meet them tomorrow, but two of them decided to celebrate my birthday a little earlier than planned." He said frowning.

"Oh, did they know I was here?" She asked.

"I told them, but knowing them, they probably didn't remember. Especially those two. I'm sorry, when they get here, they'll stay for a few minutes and then we can kick them out. Okay?" He said, apologetically.

"It's okay, I don't mind. They can stay for a bit. Are these guys doctors too?" She asked, genuinely curious about his friends.

"One is…Jack, but Alex is in a band and has a bunch of part time jobs." He explained.

"Okay." She said, as she nodded. He sighed and gave her a look of appreciation, before giving her a soft kiss.

"Thank you." He whispered as he pulled away. She smiled and nodded. It wasn't exactly what she wanted, but she did want to meet some of his friends. He looked at her and noticed she had a book in her hand.

"You're not planning to read while they're here, are you?" Rory shrugged.

"Depends. If you guys talk about sports, then yes, but if you talk about something stimulating and something I can follow, then I won't." Tristan laughed and kissed her forehead. He started to walk into the kitchen.

"Mary, do me a favor and open the door a little." She gave a confused look, but did it anyway. She followed him and saw him take a few coasters in his hand.

"Can I make coffee?" She asked.

"Mi casa es tu casa." He said winking. She gave him a funny look.

"My house is your house." He translated. She smiled widely and began searching the cabinets for coffee.

"Last one." He said and she made a small 'Yay!' when she found the coffee in the last cabinet. He laughed and went out of the kitchen as he heard her pressing buttons and setting up the coffee maker. Rory's thoughts drifted back to that afternoon. She had even_ told_ him that she wanted to go that far with him. She was thinking how it was ironic that he was the one who stopped them, but was interrupted when she heard an unfamiliar man's voice sound through the apartment.

"Tristan, we've landed and we're ready to start the party!" The unfamiliar voice said. Rory raised her eyebrows.

"Hey Alex, Jack." He said nodding to each of them. They took in his strange look.

"What's up?" Alex asked looking around for some kind of clue.

"Nothing. You guys don't remember me saying I was having my girlfriend here tonight?" He said giving them an almost scolding look. They shrugged.

"Yea, we remember, but in the past they've been up for partying. And they weren't really girlfriends." Jack said shrugging.

"I know, but this one _is_ and I'd appreciate it if we held off this time." Alex raised his eyebrows. Rory smiled at how Tristan was almost blowing his friends off for her. Although they couldn't see her, she could see them. Alex was the same height as Tristan but instead of blonde hair, his was brown. And Jack was about 5'9'' and had dark brown hair with hazel eyes. Both men were very good looking.

"Sure man, so where is she then? Break a nail?" Jack asked smirking.

"Uhh no, she's getting coffee." He said smiling at his friend's faces. When the coffee signaled the end, Rory poured herself a mug and walked out. Jack saw her first and his eyes widened. The other two followed his eyes, and Rory smiled when both men had identical shocked faces.

"Tristan, where'd you put your manners? We don't know each other." Rory said taking a sip out of her mug and setting it down.

"Oh uhh, guys this is Rory, my girlfriend, and this is Jack and Alex." Tristan said pointing.

"Hey." Rory said shaking both of their hands.

"Rory, you're not what we were expecting." Alex said.

"Oh? And what were you expecting?" She asked eyeing Tristan.

"Busty girl in a small skirt, tank top, totally falling out, and heavy make up." He said. Rory looked at her own t-shirt and khaki shorts.

"Mm, yea, none of those around here. I hope." Rory said smiling at Tristan. She picked her mug back up.

"So whatcha got there?" Rory asked drawing attention to Alex's paper bag.

"Oh, some cans of beer, but we'll just save them for another time." Alex replied sheepishly.

"That's stupid. You guys can drink! I don't mind…just don't get drunk." Rory said.

"Yes, mom." Tristan teased.

"I hope the things you've done with me you haven't done with your mom." Rory said cringing. He laughed and led them all to floor in front of the coffee table. Rory sat down with her back against it. Tristan took the seat next to her, and Alex and Jack sat across from them.

"So Rory, know any juicy details about our Tristan here?" Rory laughed and bit her lip.

"Well, I could think of a few, but then again, I've known him since we were 16 and spent 6 of those around him. So of course I have stories." She said, laughing at the look on Tristan's face.

"Oh, tell us one from college!" Jack exclaimed. Rory grinned when Tristan groaned.

"Well, this came up just recently actually but there was one time when Tristan willingly let me paint his nails." She said, smiling up at Tristan.

"Wait! That is_ so_ not how it went!" Tristan said defensively as Jack and Alex started to crack up. Rory rubbed his arm and gave him a warm smile.

"How did this happen?" Alex asked.

"She tricked me!" Tristan exclaimed. They laughed.

"Sure, sweetie." Rory said nodding and rolled her eyes.

"So I gave you one, now you have to give me one." Rory said to Tristan's friends.

"How is that fair?" Tristan asked.

"I dunno, it just is." Rory said smiling cheekily. He rolled his eyes as he watched his friends think it over.

"Yea, we were at a party and they had a ton of water related things. A pool, hoses, water balloons, water guns, everything. Well a few of us thought it would be funny to fill a few water balloons up with water that had food coloring in it. So we made them and went looking for our lucky victim, we found this guy. Tristan decided he wanted to do it so he ran up to him and started to throw it at him, but the guy got scared and retaliated. End of story, Tristan got a fractured arm and blue hair for a long time." Rory looked at Tristan's face and couldn't help but laugh.

"It's a good thing you guys aren't my enemies." Tristan said finding some humor in the matter. They started some friendly chatting when one of the guys cell phone rang.

"Yea?" Alex answered.

"She's gorgeous, leggy, red head, breasts are delicious looking, and she has friends equally attractive." The voice said.

"Eric?" Alex asked.

"Yea, who else would it be?" Eric scoffed.

"I dunno." Alex responded.

"So you and Jack coming? Her friends aren't gonna wait forever. Dan, Seth, and Jamie are already here." Eric replied, a bit aggravated that they were taking so long.

"Yea, we're on our way." Alex hung up.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, but it looks like we're gonna get lucky tonight!" Alex cheered. Jack whistled.

"Niiiice! Well it was awesome meeting you, Rory. We should all chill again." Jack said, giving Rory a mock salute. Rory smiled and nodded.

"Sure."

"Later Tristan." Alex and Jack slapped hands with him and exited the apartment swiftly.

"So?" Tristan asked when the door was shut.

"They're nice, decent, and respect your wishes. That's great." Rory said smiling. He gave her a soft kiss.

"Thanks for being so awesome about that." Rory nodded.

"I'm gonna get into my pajamas." Rory announced.

"Already?" He asked.

"Yea, you should too. I promise I won't paint your nails." She teased. He laughed.

"Alright, babe. I'll see ya in a second." When he left, she opened her bag and pulled out cotton shorts and a tank top to change into. When she pulled out her toiletries, she caught site of silk negligee she'd bought the day before just for that night. She'd even bought a matching ribbon bow so she could say she was his last present. She sighed. She was 26 now. If she couldn't make her own decisions now, then there was no hope for her in the future. She shoved it back down in her bag and stood up putting her bag on the side of the room against the wall. She tapped her thighs and lay down on the couch. She heard Tristan's footsteps and shut her eyes.

"Hey, you stole my bed." Tristan said sitting down next to her outstretched body. Her shirt had risen up a little and Tristan rested his hand on her exposed hip. She opened her eyes and shrugged. She had seemed a little off since that afternoon and he still couldn't place it.

"What's going on?" He asked serious again.

"Nothing, why do you assume something is wrong." She said a bit agitated.

"Because something_ is_ wrong." He said, not letting up. She looked up at him.

"Why would I lie to you?" She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I don't know, I'm trying to figure that out. Did I do something wrong?" Tristan asked. Rory licked her lips and removed his hand from her skin.

"No." She said sitting up. He was thrown off by her actions.

"You're full of crap." He challenged and held his breath at what would happen. Rory gaped at him and stood up suddenly.

"Fine, want to know what's wrong?_ This_ is all wrong! I love you and I've said it. I've said it so many times, and all I can do now is say it. I want to _show_ you how much I love you." She said, throwing her arms up on exasperation. His jaw opened. 'So she was still upset about this afternoon.' He thought as he stood up.

"I thought we cleared the whole sex thing up?" He asked, coming closer to her.

"We? No_ you_ cleared it up. I had no role in that decision. Your call the other day was really sweet and it was really appreciated, Tristan, but today you blatantly refused me after I put myself out there like that! Do you know how humiliating that is? Do you even want me like that, or would you ever want me like that? Because I don't understand!" She said flailing her arms. He felt bad.

"I _do_! Oh god, so much, but I don't want it to be because I'm leaving." He said. She bit her lip to keep the tears from falling.

"But I_ love you_." She said as a tear made it's way down her cheek. He stood there stunned. Sure he'd heard her say that before, numerous times, but never in his life had someone said it to him with such desperation in his or her voice. With such a force that he was unable to speak. Her eyes and tone said everything. It almost paralyzed him. After a moment he was able to somewhat collect himself.

"Rory, I…" He started and then stopped to think, but she interrupted him.

"No, it's okay. I'm gonna go to sleep." She said turning around and walking towards his bedroom. He let himself drop onto the sofa. Rory climbed into Tristan's bed and just lay there. The tears had disappeared and now all that remained was a strange feeling of loss. Twenty minutes later she saw Tristan enter the room with a gloomy look on his face. He sat down on his bed and lay down next to her. She turned her face to him and looked at him. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He cleared his throat.

"I'm not quite sure which got me more. The tone in which you said you loved me, or the fact that you'd shown and told me clearly that you wanted to have sex with me and I refused you when I want it too." He admitted in a soft tone.

"I guess I just keep second guessing you in every aspect, huh?" Tristan finished. Rory sighed at his words.

"You'll learn to stop. You learned sympathy just a few weeks ago in only a couple of days. This will get easier too." Rory said. He nodded at her kind words. It was quiet for a moment.

"I think something got confusing today. I _want_ to be with you like that, I do, but I don't want it if you only want to do it because you won't see me for awhile." He said, placing his hand on her face. She nodded. She somewhat understood where he was coming from.

"I'm sorry, I love you, and you know that. I'm not sure what you're thinking right now, but I guess what's confusing me is a mixture of being really surprised and unsure at what spurred this sudden want. And before you say anything, I'm going off what I know. Just last week I made you run away from a silly comment I made. If a mindless comment can do that to you, I don't want to know what would happen if you regret doing this with me." He continued to explain. She sighed.

"I'm learning to deal with relationships. You know my history of running, first hand many times, but I want to stop that habit. My attempts at learning to not run away are working." She said, placing a hand over his.

"I'm glad. Just don't give up, okay? I understand now, and I'm sorry I just blew you off like you don't know what you want. Because you do, I know that. Forgive me?" He said, looking her in the eye. She smiled at his apology and nodded.

"I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you. Just don't do it again." She said smiling, and pointing a finger at him accusingly. He nodded and kissed her on the lips. She returned the kiss with the same pressure and once again felt his promise and love seep through.

"So you in this outfit of yours really leaves little to the imagination." He said tracing her revealed skin. She giggled at his touch and surrendered to his demanding kiss. She moaned as he rolled them over so he was leaning down on top of her continuing to make random patterns on her exposed stomach. She leaned up as he started to pull back. She groaned when he pulled back completely.

"No going back." He said in a low voice, giving her one more chance to back out.

"Good." She said giving him an encouraging smile. He grinned and lowered his lips back onto hers. She ran her hands over his shoulder and moved them to the sides of his neck, gently massaging the skin with her thumbs. He groaned as he pushed her into the mattress and slowly pushed his tongue into her mouth. She moaned at his touch and kissed him back with as much fervor as he was kissing her. She pushed her tongue against his and squirmed under him as his hand traveled up her shirt to cup her breast. She moaned as he ran his thumb over naked nipple and moved his tongue in her mouth in sync with his thumb. He smoothly lifted her shirt up briefly breaking the kiss before removing it completely and staring at her naked chest. Her rosy points were firm with anticipation and ran his hands over them lightly causing her to moan.

"Tristan." She groaned looking at him with earnest eyes. He dipped his head down to kiss the groove in her neck and then ran his teeth over her collarbone scattering light kisses over her skin. Her hands roamed his back as she found the hem and started to pull upwards.

"Eager much?" He teased as he helped her remove his shirt. She grinned and sat up coming closer to him. He watched her as she went onto her knees and ran her hands up his chest. She gave him a small smile before kissing him so softly he wasn't even sure she kissed him. He groaned and found her lips again pulling her tightly against him. He groaned as her nipples rubbed against him, arousing him more. She grinned against his lips as she pushed him down and straddled his waist taking control. She leaned down and rubbed her breasts against him while pushing herself down onto his erection and then swallowed his moan with her lips. His hands came to the top of her shorts and he hooked his thumbs in them pulling them down as far as he could. She wiggled against him, causing more friction between them. She lifted up slightly and broke the kiss staring him in the eye as she pulled his boxers down slowly. He noticeably swallowed as she freed his erection. He kicked them off and pulled her back to his lips, devouring every last taste he could find within her mouth. She moaned loudly as he forced her to lift up and pulled her shorts and underwear off together. She sat back down sitting right above his arousal. She leaned down and kissed him again, this time leisurely and agonizingly slow leaving nothing to the imagination. He leaned over forcing her onto her back as he took control back. He ground himself against her causing them both to whine with want. Rory grabbed one of his hands in hers and squeezed it.

"You okay?" He asked breathing heavily as he continued pushing himself down onto her. She nodded breathing raggedly.

"Don't stop." She whispered. He nodded and leaned his forehead against hers as his free hand traveled down and rubbed her thigh before slowly moving his hand in between her thighs. She opened her legs more and wrapped them around his waist tightly. She whimpered as his hand lightly brushed against her and continued to look at him in the eye as he continued. He ran his hand against her wet skin and groaned along with Rory. He gave her a soft kiss before kissing the skin right below her ear.

"You ready?" He asked and kissed away a bead of sweat on her forehead. She nodded and kept his hand in hers as the other went to the side of his neck when she felt him shifting. She felt a rush go through her as she felt him coming closer to her. She let out a small laugh as adrenaline pumped through her. He gave her smile and gently pushed himself into her. They both moaned as they felt each other fully connect with the other. He slowly pulled back out of her as Rory's head fell back with pleasure. Tristan kissed her fully exposed neck as he pushed into her deeply causing a guttural sound to emanate from her. He pulled back out and thrust into her again before speeding up a little as he continued to rock his hips back and forth making him go in and out of her. He sped up when he felt her vaginal walls start to tremor and Rory's breath become even more uneven.

"Oh god." She cried as she felt the end coming. Tristan grunted as he tried to prolong his build up and get her there first. He pushed into her deeply a few more times before he felt her close around him and Rory gasped as her body buzzed. He let go and felt himself go into a mindless bliss like Rory. He slowed down his pace and pulled out of her. She had grin on her face as she felt him lie down beside her and wrap his free arm around her. Rory looked at their hands that had been intertwined throughout the whole thing. She kissed his neck.

"Thank you." She whispered against him. He grinned.

"I think I should be thanking you for practically forcing me." He said as his breathing started to become more even. She let out a small laugh. She moved up so she was eye level with him.

"So?" Rory asked.

"So? So, what?" he asked grinning at her flushed face.

"Did you like it?" She asked. He laughed.

"I have to say, this was the most _personal_ I've ever had." He said, honestly, looking at their hands, still having yet to let go. She raised her eyebrows. He lifted their locked hands.

"I've never had a girl hold my hand for the whole thing and not let go, even after. That has got to be the most arousing thing I've ever done." He said honestly. She smiled widely. She knew he was not new to sex, and she wasn't about to pretend either.

"How was it for you?" He asked.

"Well, I figured it would amazing, but it was more than amazing. I mean I've had fewer sexual encounters than you have, but it's never felt so…yea, I guess _personal_ before." She said furrowing her eyebrows. He smiled and kissed her softly before turning onto his side and wrapping his arm around her.

"Wanna go again?" He asked, smirking. She wrinkled her face and yawned.

"Maybe tomorrow." She said.

"I'm all for that." He said smirking.

"You tired me out." She accused.

"Yea, sleep sounds good right about now, but you can't get dressed." He said giving her a look. She laughed and moved closer to him nuzzling her head into his chest and settling down comfortably.

"Night baby." Tristan said kissing her hair.

"G'night, mousy." She mumbled. He laughed.

"What?" He said, lifting his head to look at her.

"If you give a mouse a cookie, he wants another one. Well if you give Tristan sex, he'll just want more." She said simply. He laughed heartily.

"God, I love you." He said kissing her and pulling the covers over them.

"So now I'm god? Good, I like people worshipping me." She said grinning and returning the kiss. He smiled and squeezed her tightly.

"Night." He said.

"I love you, too." Rory said softly and let herself fall asleep in Tristan's arms. Tristan watched her and then allowed himself to drift off soon after.

Life would be fine. She learned to not run away. She was happy, and so was he. They just didn't realize how funny life could be when something was meant to be. Fate, maybe?

**A/N: SMUUT:0) 34 pages, 11,267 words, and many weeks later and here is the chapter! Hope it was worth the wait! I do not own the movie_ Click_ nor any other movie mentioned. By the way, if you're looking for a happy and light movie, avoid that one. Very good, but very sad. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

MarieCherry: Oh, that's awesome! How fitting for Gilmore Girls. Haha. Yea, that's why I love doing plays. The whole cast always becomes such a tight knit group and you form some sort of a family. It's awesome. Well I hope it's going well!

Ninaaa: Uhhh, that sucks! I **hate** finals. They always screw everything up! Well, I hope you did well on them since you couldn't go to the concert…

EEL0404

Tonje: I think I first heard it from the movie "Titanic". And yes, you are right, it's Scandinavian. :0)

piper-h-99: No you didn't give me that link, but I've read it many times so I know what you're talking about. Thanks again!

Alenor

Kylie1403

nemo123489

Sea4Shoes: Me too, hope you liked it!

FairyGirl07: Not sure how I'm gonna use Laura…but the other characters I sort of have a plan for…

Spreeaholic1

melako17: Woah, thank you! I hope this chapter is up to standards too. :0)

LoVe23: Mm, yes sleep is grand but then again, I haven't exactly been showing a good example, huh? LOL. :0)

Mongoose 187

TVHollywoodDiva

princetongirl

photobooth romance: huh, I never knew that! I'll remember that, and yea, this was more of a filler chapter. By the way, you read fictionpress stories?


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident.

Please enjoy, and thank you!

A HUGE thanks to my beta La, who always keeps me on track and edits my chapters making them twice as good and tasteful. I owe you my stories:0)

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DETAILED SEXUAL CONTENT.

Chapter Sixteen:

FLASHBACK

_Rory walked into the smoke filled room, clearing the air in front of her as she walked. She scrunched up her nose as she looked for Tristan. It was his 20th birthday and there was a huge party being thrown for him. She coughed as someone blew a cloud of smoke in front of her._

"_Tristan?" Rory shouted over the loud music but she was drowned out._

"_Hey." Someone said coming up next to her._

"_Oh, hey Paris. Have you seen Tristan?" Paris shook her head and shrugged._

"_Sorry, but check the game room. There's a huge game of pool happening. You know there's a good chance he'll be there." Rory nodded in agreement._

"_Alright, see ya later." Rory said walking away in search of the game room. As the music was farther away she heard the shouts of guys. She followed it and found the game room with Tristan aiming his cue ball toward a striped ball. Rory smiled as she watched him squint and lower himself above the table. She heard the click of the balls hitting and saw the striped ball fall into the corner pocket. Everyone cheered and clapped as he aimed for another ball but missed that one. He frowned but when he saw Rory he grinned and handed his stick to someone else and pushed through the crowd. When he reached her, he stopped in front of her, grin still on his face._

"_Quite the party. People must like you or something." Rory teased. He laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear._

"_Happy Birthday." She said giving him a tight hug. He hugged her back._

"_Thank you. Having a good time?"_

"_Well considering I just got here a few minutes ago and my head is already pounding, I'd say so." She said looking at him. He smiled back and looked at her fancy outfit and gave her a confused look._

"_Friday night dinner." She groaned. His face fell slightly._

"_Oh, well I'm glad you could stop by for at least a few minutes. When do you need to leave?" He asked, trying to mask his disappointment. Rory raised an eyebrow and laughed._

"_Do you know what time it is?" She asked still laughing. He looked at his watch and did a double take. It was already 9:30._

"_That's why I was late. I'm here for the rest." She explained, containing her laughter._

"_Oh." He said slightly embarrassed. She ruffled his hair and gave his bicep a light pat._

"_You're one of my best friends. I wouldn't cut out of your party early to visit the grandparents. In fact I cut out of the dinner early to be here." Tristan grinned at her words._

"_So Mary, where's my birthday kiss?" He asked as his grin morphed into a smirk. Rory rolled her eyes but laughed. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and pulled back to see his eyes twinkling._

"_And right here?" He asked pointing to his lips._

"_No!" She laughed._

"_Aww, but you're single!" He pouted._

"_And you're not my boyfriend." She pointed out. He frowned and then looked back up, brightly._

"_Then can I have another kiss on my cheek." Rory laughed and gave him a soft shove. _

"_So, ready to take my turn at pool?" Rory's eyebrows rose._

"_Are you sure?" She asked skeptical. She was awful at pool. More times than not she ended up completely missing the cue ball let alone making the cue ball hit another ball. _

"Yup." He nodded and led her to the table. She grinned sheepishly before taking the stick and hitting the cue ball. Rory cheered when it hit another ball, but it was silent when everyone realized she'd hit the 8-ball and she hit it into a pocket.

END FLASHBACK

"Rory, you gonna get that?" Tristan mumbled into her hair. She groaned. Rory's cell phone had woken them up.

"Do I have to?" she asked more then comfortable buried under the covers with Tristan holding her against him.

"Well, it's just gonna keep ringing." He said eyes still shut. She sighed and moved out of his embrace and grabbed her phone off the floor.

"_What_?" She asked annoyed and lying back down close to Tristan.

"Did I wake you up?" Rory groaned.

"Winnie, what time is it?" She said looking around the room, squinting trying to locate the clock.

"Um 11:30." Winnie replied. Rory opened her eyes wide.

"It is?" She said, sitting up, rubbing her eyes and looking at the alarm clock.

"Yup. Must of had a pretty eventful night." Winnie said grinning.

"Shut up, _mom_. Just wait till that baby is born. Then we'll see who's waking who up." Rory thought about what she'd just said and blinked.

"Um okay. Well, I'll let you get back to your husband. Call me when you're done with the next romp." Winnie said and hung up the phone. Rory gaped at the phone but smiled and dropped it on the floor. She cuddled back into Tristan's arms. She sighed, content._ Wait, husband?_ She stiffened. Tristan felt it. He rolled her slightly so he could look at her properly.

"You okay?" He asked concerned. She nodded.

"Winnie told me to go back to my husband." She said softly. Tristan raised his eyebrows and looked at his left hand.

"Uh, did I miss something?" He asked. Rory laughed. His hair was sticking up everywhere and his eyes and voice were still full of sleep.

"No, she was just making a joke." She said, smiling. Tristan nodded.

"Wasn't that funny." He said as an after thought.

"No, it wasn't." Rory agreed. It was quiet. She looked into his naked chest and smiled at their close, naked bodies. She kissed the base of his neck. He smiled and looked down at her.

"Well seeing as sleep was pulled away from us, good morning." He said moving his hand across her naked back.

"Good morning, boyfriend." She said smiling. He kissed her forehead.

"Have a good sleep?" She nodded enthusiastically.

"Not sure when the last time I slept so well with a guy sleeping next to me." She said, looking up at him. He scoffed and nudged her.

"Don't you know the rule that you should never speak of other lovers while in bed with your current one?" He said feigning insult.

"Now that you mention it, I may have heard something." She said rubbing her chin. He smiled and cupped her cheek.

"Oh no, the sex debrief." Rory groaned but smiled anyway. He grinned.

"So, thank you for last night. I knew I was missing_ something_ but not_ that_." He said seriously.

"Are you saying I'm good in bed?" Rory asked grinning.

"I'd give you an A+." He smirked. Rory touched her heart.

"I'm touched." She said. He smiled at her.

"So we should probably get up if we're meeting your friends." She said, looking at the clock once more. He groaned.

"Friends will bend. Well…then again so will you, but this was _our_ weekend." He whined. Rory smiled up at him and touched his cheek.

"They're your friends, you can't blow them off." She pointed out.

"Sure I can." He said scooting down farther under the covers. Rory laughed.

"What will it take you to get up?" She asked leaning on his chest. A devilish smirk appeared on his face. Rory blushed.

"Why do I ask such stupid questions?" Rory said berating herself.

"I dunno, but I like seeing you blush." He said smirking. She rolled her eyes and put her chin down on his breastbone.

"So not to put a damper on the mood or anything, but when do you need to leave?" Tristan asked solemnly.

"I need to be home by 10 tonight. So I was thinking of leaving about 8?" Rory said sighing. He nodded and stroked her hair. She kissed his pulse point and nuzzled her head in his neck. She felt the urge to touch him again as she felt him brush against her leg. She groaned and leaned up farther so she was eye level with him. She kissed his nose and put one arm under his neck as the other one moved to his hair. She brushed his hair to the side and placed a warm kiss on his lips.

"Mmm, you taste like fruit." Rory said before pulling him to her again and deepening the kiss. He moaned into her mouth as her hand traveled down his body and rested next to his happy trail. She pulled back and smiled at his disappointed face. She reached over and showed him a container. He smirked as she opened it, handing Tristan the contents.

"So, are you rolling first?" He asked smiling devilishly. She nodded and he watched as she rolled them on the nearby night table. She leaned over and saw that to her luck "below waist" and "suck" were the words facing up. She gave him a look and he grinned. She smiled and shook her head. She leaned up to his face.

"Do you like teeth?" She whispered in his ear, in a low seductive voice. He swallowed as her hand flitted across him, making the blood rush to his groin. She didn't wait for his answer before she carefully pulled down the covers exposing his erection. He almost whimpered when she slowly lowered her lips to his and gave him soft kisses making him want more and then went directly towards his penis. She dusted a kiss on the tip, and he let out a small whine. She grinned as she gently grazed her teeth across the tip, before pulling herself closer and running her teeth down his shaft. His head arched back once she reached the base, as she allowed her lips to close around him and slowly pull her mouth off him. She smiled at his opened mouth, and the quiet gasping sounds she was eliciting. As she tightly held the base of him she licked him a few times and then breathed in as she closed her mouth around him, creating an immediate suction. He gasped and held in a breath as she squeezed him harder. He let out a deep moan as she sucked and ran her teeth against him. She started to slide off him and let her finger trail the underside of his shaft in her mouths wake.

"Oh _god_." He breathed, choking on his ragged breaths. She ran her finger back down and her mouth followed, back over him. Tristan's head was back in pure bliss. He'd heard from Logan once that Rory was good in bed, but he wasn't expecting the feelings that were now shooting through him. He almost exploded in her mouth when he felt hard and long vibrations on his penis. He sucked in his breath.

"Rory…oh god…you need, oh god." He took a breath to try and get focused but the vibrations from her humming and the continual stroking wouldn't allow him too. He gently tangled his hands in her hair and felt the movement of her head, only adding to his arousal. Rory inwardly smiled as she felt his body start to fall. His body suddenly tensed, and his grip tightened slightly in her hair, halting her head's movement, when he called out her name marking his release. She sucked a little harder and hummed loudly in approval when she felt the warm liquid released in her mouth. His breathing was hard and staggered as she swallowed and then kissed his tip gently, before moving back up on the bed to be eye level with Tristan. She wiped the hair off his sweaty forehead and stared into his sea blue eyes. All she could see was desire, love, and shock. She had to laugh at the combination and the blank face that hadn't left his face.

"That was _amazing_." He said turning his head towards her.

"I'm glad you liked it." She said grinning. He pulled her head down and kissed her roughly as his hand cupped her butt. She pulled back and rested her forehead against his. He smiled at her, and stared into her cobalt blue eyes adoringly.

"_My_ turn." He said in a sing-song voice, while smirking. She laughed.

"So soon?" She asked.

"Yea, I wanna hear you say my name." He whispered.

"Tristan. There, I said it." She said mocking him. He smiled and leaned next to her ear.

"I wanna hear you say my name in that whispery moan of yours. I wanna hear you call my name because you can't think of anything else besides what I'm doing and how it feels." He said slowly. She gave a small shiver and bit her lip, taking the dice into her hands and letting them roll into Tristan's hand. He shook the dice within his hand and let them roll onto the table. The "?" came up on one and on the other one was "tease". Tristan grinned.

"Oh no." Rory groaned imagining all the possible things Tristan could do to her body. She started to roll away from him, but he caught her side and rolled her back to him.

"Baby, you can't get rid of me that easily." He said. "Plus, I have to make up for what you did to me." He pointed out. She frowned but it was wiped off her face as Tristan leaned over her, prodding gently at her lips with his. He started to trail kisses down her neck when the phone rang. Rory moaned when he bit down.

"Tristan…" She breathed. He stopped and looked up at her.

"Nice timing." He sighed and kissed her again before picking up his phone.

"What?" he asked, unable to hide the irritation in his voice.

"You're a little late." The voice said.

"What are you talking about?" He asked confused.

"Birthday thing at 12:15? A little meet and greet with your girlfriend…? Remember?" His friend reminded him.

"Shit, are you all there?" He asked defeated.

"Yup." Tristan sighed.

"_Alright_, give us 20 minutes." He hung up the phone and looked at Rory. Her eyebrows were raised.

"We're kinda late for meeting my buddies." He said simply. She smiled despite their current situation.

"Well unless you're speedy with whatever you were going to do with mee hunghe, I think we _might_ have to wait." Rory said biting her lip. Tristan nodded.

"Well think of it this way, it'll give me more time to plot_ exactly_ what I wanna do to you, and it gives you time to prepare for it. Because I hope you don't expect me to give you anything less than a bone splitting orgasm." He said, promising. Rory laughed.

"And you say you're normal?" Rory asked still smiling. He gave her a light push.

"Come on, let's get some clothes on." He said pulling Rory out of bed with him.

NNNNNNNNNNNN

He pulled her along with him as he scanned the large room for the correct table. He felt Rory tug on his shirt.

"Yea?" He asked distractedly.

"Is that them?" She asked, pointing to a table full of guys. She recognized Jack and Alex. He gave a soft nod as they meandered their way through the people to the table. Alex saw them first and stood up, waving.

"Hey guys." He said when they got close enough to hear. Rory smiled as Tristan hit knuckles with all of his friends. They sat down in the two empty chairs.

"Guys, this is Rory. Rory, these are my friends. We have Eric, Sean, Alex, Matt and Jack." He said going around the table.

"Good to see you again, Rory." Jack said smiling.

"Yea, same here." It was quiet as they all watched each other. Rory, sensing the awkward moment, broke the silence.

"So, how do you all know Tristan?" She asked, looking around the table.

"Well, Sean and I work with Tristan at the hospital." Jack said, going first.

"I've known him since high school. We met in Military School, and recently just met up again." Eric supplied

"And Alex and I are in a band together and my sister dated Tristan a couple of years ago." Matt said. Rory nodded.

"So Rory, how do you know Tristan?" Rory smiled up at Tristan.

"Well, we met in high school before he got sent to Military School, and then we were at Yale together. My grandfather was sick about a month or so ago, and Tristan's uncle was his doctor." She replied, looking around once again.

"Wait, what's your last name?" Sean asked.

"Gilmore." She supplied, looking confused.

"Your grandfather was Richard Gilmore?" He asked. Rory nodded silently.

"You knew him?" She asked.

"Well no, but I've been researching what happened to him. With the whole quick come back and then complete loss of life. So far, I have next to nothing. My partner gave up, blaming it on just another medical miracle." He replied. Rory nodded and smiled weakly. She still missed him.

"Wait, I remember reading about that actually. I was told all of his files were pulled back up again, and they're doing a complete analyzes on his medical history to try and find something. They're comparing past cases." Jack said, now joining in the conversation. Rory blinked the tears and quickly wiped away a single tear before anyone could see it.

"Yea, in some of my research, I found that it could do with past mental experiences." Sean started. "Rory, did anything happen in his past that could've mentally demanded him to visit reality again?" Rory looked up surprised. Tristan did a small intake of breath when he noticed Rory's glassy eyes.

"I wouldn't know. I guess." She said shrugging, wishing for a change in subject.

"So Matt how's the song writing going?" Tristan asked, trying to change the subject.

"Pretty well, we've got a few new songs." Matt answered, now noticing Rory's discomfort.

"What about mistakes he deeply regretted." Sean continued, completely oblivious. Rory gaped, finally having had enough.

"I'm his granddaughter. I wouldn't know, and I'd appreciate if you'd view him as a person instead of specimen of a medical phenomenon. Especially when around his immediate family." She said, raising her voice.

"Excuse me." She said pushing her chair back, and walking away in the direction of the bathroom. They all watched in shock. Tristan sighed and shook his head. At least he knew that she was still deeply sad about her grandfather's passing.

"Why'd you do that? You _know_ he only passed away less than a month ago!" Tristan snapped and stood up walking after Rory. The other guys all looked at Sean. He sighed and slid down in his chair.

"Rory?" Tristan asked knocking on the women's room door. He heard nothing and moved away when a woman went to enter.

"Could you see if there's a woman named Rory in there?" He asked. The woman turned to him.

"Depends on what you did." She said, pursing her lips.

"Her grandfather passed away a few weeks ago and my friends were making comments about the miracle that happened and it upset her." He quickly replied.

"So, it was nothing you did?" The woman asked, thinking it over. He shook his head.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." The woman said entering. A few minutes later he saw the door open and saw Rory looking down as she came out.

"Hey." He said as she walked towards him. She looked up and his mouth opened and closed when he saw her swollen eyes and wet cheeks.

"Oh god, come here." He said hugging her tightly. She fisted the material of his shirt and she clung to him. She sniffled and pulled back, frowning at the small wet spot her cheeks made on his shirt.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run off like that. It's your birthday thing with your friends. _God_, I feel like an ass hole." She said softly. He shook his head.

"No. Sean was completely out of line, and honestly, I'm not even sure he realized what he was doing." She nodded and bit her lip.

"I'm also slightly glad that this happened. I didn't realize how much you still felt it, and now I'm glad I know." She sniffled and nodded.

"You wanna go back now?" Rory asked.

"Your eyes are still red, are you sure?" He asked, lifting her chin up to look her in the eyes.

"I don't care. _They_ made me cry." She pouted. He smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead.

"You don't always have to be so strong." He whispered into her ear and led her back to the table. Upon seeing them, Sean immediately stood up.

"Rory, I am so sorry…" he started, but Rory cut him off.

"It's fine, you didn't know. Let's just forget about it. Okay?" She said. He nodded appreciatively.

"Well, I'm still sorry." He offered once more. She smiled and nodded.

"So, what do you do Rory?" Eric asked.

"I'm a journalist for the Boston Globe." She said.

"Oh, a journalist?" Alex asked, interested.

"Yea, why?" She said, looking at him expectantly.

"Well, my band sort of needs publicity. You could write a story." He asked hopefully. Rory laughed softly.

"I'm sure you guys are good, but we don't usually have bands as our cover stories." They all chuckled.

"Oh, well I mean like a review. There's an entertainment section." Alex offered.

"Well, if you guys are ever in the Boston area, I'd love to see you guys play." Alex nodded, smiling widely.

"Thank you." He said.

"Sure." She said nodding.

NNNNNNNNNNN

"How are you doing?" Tristan asked when they got back to his apartment. She shrugged.

"Okay, I guess. I didn't realize how upset I was." Rory said softly. He wrapped her in a hug and kissed her head. They stayed hugging each other for a few minutes. Rory pulled away and bit her lip.

"You know, besides that beginning part, I really enjoyed getting to know your friends and meeting them. I like them a lot." Rory said thinking out loud. Tristan grinned.

"I'm glad. That means a lot, I mean not that I need your permission or anything, but thank you." He said, smiling down at her. She nodded smiling.

"I need to meet your friends one day." Tristan said.

"When you come back?" She asked, looking up at him. He nodded.

"Yea, or if I get a break from Medical Hell." He said cracking a smile. Rory laughed.

"You'll love it." She said, giving him a slight shove. He nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to miss you." Rory said sadly. He frowned and cupped her cheek bringing her eyes in line with his.

"It's not even two o clock. We still have six hours together, let's not ruin it." He said seriously with pleading eyes. She nodded.

"So what should we do?" Rory asked, and stared at him when his face took on an evil glint.

"Well, if you remember this morning, we still have some unfinished business." He replied mischievously. Rory couldn't help but smile. She'd fallen in love with him for a reason and it wasn't all because of his striking looks and memorable personality.

"Lead the way." She said, taking on a grin of her own. He took her hand in his and led her to the bedroom. The two dice were still sitting there from that morning. Tristan picked them up and gave them to Rory. They still said "tease" and "?".

"Alright E.T., let's do this." Rory said stepping forward. He gave her a look. He didn't see how 'Evil Tristan" fit.

"Erotic Tristan…" she said as if it were obvious.

"Now how would I know that? How many words start with the letter 'e'?" Rory grinned and continued stepping forward until she was right in front of him. She shrugged and slid her fingers through the belt loops of his jeans. She gave them a small tug and leaned up.

"I might just have to do this myself. You're taking_ way_ too long." She whispered into his ear. He felt himself harden at her words and stared into her eyes with lust and fascination.

"You make it sound like a chore." He teased. She gave him a look.

"What did I just say? That orgasm you promised me seems so far away and I don't think I can wait." She said haughtily. His grin widened as he wrapped his arm around her and met her in a soft kiss. He sucked her bottom lip. She wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped up so he was holding her. She groaned against him as he massaged her ass through her shorts. He lay her down on the bed hovering over her and nipping at her lips. She balled up the material of his shirt as he slowly undid her shorts and pulled them down along with her panties. He trailed light kisses down her jaw to her ear and lightly sucked on her ear lobe.

"Ready?" He asked taking her hand in his and pulling her slightly. She nodded as he fingered the hem of her shirt and slowly pulled it up. Before he uncovered her breasts, he kissed her stomach paying no attention to her naked bottom. He kissed the valley in between her breasts as he continued to pull the offending material up and then over her head. He met her lips in a long and passionate kiss. He bit her bottom lip and skimmed over her right breast with his fingernail earning him a soft moan and curled toes. His left hand joined and applied the same thing to her left breast. His mouth placed a hot open kiss on her lips and traveled down her neck. He kissed down to the base of her neck softly, each kiss getting harder until he sucked hard and bit down. He let go and blew on the small red spot. Continuing, wet kisses were planted as he went down, getting wetter until he only used his tongue and licked her whole mound. She squirmed under him as her breathing become more ragged and heavy. She tangled her hands in his hair as she bit her lip and tasted the blood when she moaned loudly as he sucked and bit her nipple. She let out a sigh as he let go but almost called off the whole thing for immediate sex when she felt his hot mouth on her other breast.

"_Tristan_…" She groaned and sucked in a breath as one hand lightly glided down her body in search of her hot and welcoming center. He kissed his way back up and attacked her mouth with his own as his hand gently massaged the inside of her thigh, tantalizingly slowly making its way closer to where she wanted him to be. He rubbed her tongue with his own and she stopped breathing for a second. She felt his hand inching its way closer to her clit, but he wouldn't touch it.

"Tristan." She breathed, breaking the kiss.

"_Please_." She pleaded. He shook his head.

"The dice said _tease_, not satisfy." He said grinning wildly. She took a quick intake of air as his fingers prodded her opening and relished in her growing wetness. He easily slid a finger inside of her kissing her on the lips. She moaned loudly and let out a shaky breath.

"Do _something_." She pleaded as his finger started to move inside of her, before he removed his finger completely and replaced it with two. She let out a cry as he drove into her and succumbed to her need by toying with her clit. She leaned her head back as she felt the pressure start to build and willed the end to come sooner. He sensed it and slowly pulled his fingers out. Her eyes widened as he stuck his fingers in his mouth and licked her fluid off of his fingers. His eyes danced as he saw her reaction to the way he licked his fingers in approval, before he lowered his head and moved his hands to her hips and replaced his fingers with his mouth.

"_Shit_." She squeaked as her eyes lolled back when his tongue ran along her slit and around her small nub. Her hands toyed around in his hair as he pressed in harder against her heat.

"Tristan," she panted heavily. "I need…more." She managed to get out. He flicked his tongue against her and slid it inside of her moving his tongue and touching spots she didn't know existed.

"Tristan, I can't…. _please_, oh god…more." He sucked her clit and then gently bit it, almost sending her over the edge.

"I want you to cum for me baby." He said in a raspy low voice and then moved back to his previous actions.

"Cum baby, I wanna taste all of you." He said against her folds. She let out a loud moan as he sucked on her hard and moved a hand to her folds and pushed two fingers in hard and fast. "Tristan!" She let out in a loud guttural moan, as tidal waves of pleasure overtook her and bliss was surrounding her. She felt Tristan sit up slightly and come face to face with her. He gave her a gentle kiss on her lips, and smiled softly.

"_That's_ how I want to hear you say my name from now on." He said grinning. She managed a small smile as her breathing slowed down. She pulled his head back to hers and kissed his lips soundly and hard.

"I wanna feel_ you_ inside of me." She said pulling at his shirt.

"I just…" He said, confused.

"No, you need to remove _all_ of your clothes, right now! I want your hands everywhere, and I want to be on top." She said in one breath. He let his surprised reaction show as she moved her hands to his pants and unbuttoned and unzipped them. He took over for her quickly discarding his boxers and pants and then removing his shirt. He captured her lips in a hard demanding kiss as he rolled onto his back bringing her with him. She situated herself on his stomach battling his tongue with her own as she fought for the control she desired. She leaned up and nipped at his ear.

"No glove, no love." She whispered. He got her point and grabbed his pants, pulling out a condom. She ripped it open and went on her knees as she fixed it upon his growing erection. She purposely let her finger flit across the tip and sat back on his stomach returning her mouth to his as she leaned up and guided herself onto him. They both let out moans at the new position. Tristan looked up at her and stared at her naked breasts, which were in full view. He cupped them and then moved his hands down to her hips and guided her down on him for a few strokes. She leaned her head back as she lifted up and went back down on him, biting her lip at the full feeling and the direct contact with her clit. Tristan closed his eyes for a second relishing in the pleasure she was evoking in both of them. He watched her breasts move up and down with her body and her face contort in the ecstasy she was trying to reach. She sped up, needing the fast relief. Tristan bit his lip trying to focus on getting her there too as he thrust up to meet her making them call out each other's names.

"Tristan." She moaned as she drove herself to the edge and let out a whimper as she felt an orgasm once again rip through her. Seconds later, Tristan called her name as he went limp below her. She slowly pulled off of him and he got up and went to the bathroom to discard the condom, before coming back and lying on his side to face her. He cupped her cheek and rubbed her lips before kissing her tenderly. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"I love you so _fucking_ much. Ya know that?" He whispered. She couldn't help the huge smile that adorned her face. She nodded.

"Me too." She said back and met him in another tender and loving kiss. The two lovers lay there, letting time pass them by.

NNNNNNNNNN

"Tristan?" Rory said sleepily, and nudged him. He groaned and just pulled her tighter against him. She kissed his forehead.

"Tristan, it's getting late." She said, trying again. He opened his eyes slowly.

"Come again?" He asked not fully awake.

"It's getting late, and I'm hungry." Rory said. He leaned over and looked at the clock. 5:34. He nodded and sat up. She sat up to, covering herself with his sheets. She leaned against him.

"I'm gonna go take a shower, okay?" Rory asked, talking into his shoulder. He nodded and gave her a soft kiss before she got up and went into the bathroom. He sighed and heard the water turn on.

"Mary, you want to order in?" He heard a muffled, 'Yes' come from the bathroom and padded into the living room. He picked up the phone and ordered them Chinese. He walked back to his room to see that Rory was out of the shower and wrapped in a towel, lifting her overnight bag onto his bed to look through it. He came behind her clad in only boxers. He kissed her wet shoulder.

"Are you going to take a shower?" Rory asked. He nodded and moved to the bathroom. She continued looking for clothes. About 10 minutes later, Tristan emerged with a towel.

"I ordered Chinese, if that's okay. It should arrive soon. Here." He said, handing her a crisp bill as he began to look for clothes. She smiled and left the room. As Rory paid for the food, Tristan came out and helped her unload the mass amounts of food.

"What, doing it Gilmore style?" Rory teased. He laughed and nodded. About an hour later, a large amount of food had been eaten and Tristan put the leftovers in the fridge.

With less than an hour left until she had to leave, it became slightly awkward. Rory shifted from one foot to the other as Tristan shut the refrigerator door and turned to her, sighing.

"So this really does mark the end of the visit, huh." Tristan said sadly. Rory nodded and watched as he moved towards her.

"Rory, I'll be the first to admit that I don't know how this works. I've never done…this long distance thing before. I know I said all that reassuring crap, but Rory, it's hard enough for me to last a week without seeing you. It's going to take every fibre of my being to not jump on a plane, forget this whole, 'Paging Dr. Dugrey' thing and stay here with you." He admitted. Rory's heart inflated as tears came to her eyes. He wiped away a threatening tear with the pad of his thumb.

"You'll have access to the phone and internet and everything, right?" She asked, her voice breaking. He nodded.

"And I'm going to get international calling on my phone so I can call you whenever I want to." He added.

"Me too." Rory said, nodding. He led them to his leather couch and pulled her down with them. They spent the next 30 minutes just holding each other like there was no tomorrow.

"So, tell me what you're going to do when you get back." Tristan said, trying to get their minds off of the inevitable departure.

"Well, I have work tomorrow, and I guarantee you Winnie will hound me about this weekend. As well as my mom, although that will all be done tonight. Then Mark will hear, pity me, say something sarcastic, and then talk about how maybe I should add Metal band posters to my walls to get my mind off of you." She said matter-of-factly. He laughed heartily.

"I want to meet them, sometime." He reminded her.

"You will. They want to meet you too. So what are you going to do after I leave?" She asked.

"Umm well I'll probably just get some sleep tonight. Then starting tomorrow, I wrap up at the hospital, transfer all my current patients to a new doctor, and make sure they're comfortable with the new doctor. Do some side work at the hospital, and maybe do a few scrub ins for surgery. So, we're talking 10 hour plus days, and then I leave Saturday afternoon." He said as if he were reciting a program. Rory nodded.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better or worse, I'm going to miss you more than I missed Dexter, my last coffee maker." She said with a sad grin. Tristan laughed and kissed her affectionately.

"It does, thank you." He said. She nodded and then looked at the clock and groaned.

"I…need to go." She said slowly. He nodded and stood up, pulling her up with him. They started to walk down to her car.

"Promise me you'll call all the time?" He asked. She nodded and couldn't help but tear up when she saw his glassy eyes. She nodded and bit her lip.

"Only if you do too." She added. He nodded and smiled. He bowed his head in embarrassment.

"Hey! These are tears. They're produced when we feel extreme emotion, such as sadness." Rory said pointing at her eyes as they stopped at her car. Tristan smiled and wiped away his own. He couldn't help it as he wrapped his arms around her tightly and hugged her like a teddy bear. Rory let out a wet laugh and rested her wet cheek against his chest. They stood hugging for a few minutes. Tristan pulled away.

"Go now, or I wont be able to let you leave." He said in a joking tone, but both knew how serious he was. Rory gazed up at him and bit her lip as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You don't always have to be strong. It's okay to be sad." Rory said, reciting his words from earlier. He smiled sadly and sniffed, holding back his tears.

"I know." He said, in a gravelly voice.

"So this is goodbye." Rory said. Tristan shook his head.

"No, goodbye is if I never see you again. We'll see each other again." He said adamantly.

"Then this is goodbye for now." Rory said, correcting herself. He nodded and placed a devoted and resolute kiss on her soft lips.

"I love you Rory Gilmore. Take care of yourself." He said delicately.

"I love you too, Tristan. Don't let them be to hard on you. You're good, and I'm glad my grandfather had you looking over him at least some of the time." Her words touched him in a way he couldn't imagine.

"_Damn it_." He said as he wrapped her in another bone melting hug. She laughed softly and met him in a slow dedicated kiss. She pulled away after giving him another quick kiss. She opened her car door and turned to him.

"I'll be seeing ya." She said. He kissed her forehead and waited for her to get into the drivers seat before shutting the door. She started the engine and rolled down her window.

"Call me when you get back?" Tristan asked. She nodded.

"Bye baby." He said cupping her cheek. She waved and put on her seatbelt.

"Be stellar at Medical Boot Camp. You survived Military school, you can survive anything now." She said reassuringly.

"You survived more than me Rory, stay strong." He said seriously.

"I will." She said looking him in the eyes one last time. He patted the car door and pushed off, knowing she had to leave sometime. She put the car in reverse and pulled out. He watched her taillights until they disappeared and couldn't be seen anymore. Rory kept an eye on the road and punched a phone number in her cell phone as she merged onto the highway.

"Hello?" Someone answered.

"Hey, Winnie it's me." She said, trying not to let her voice break, but failing.

"Hey Rory." Winnie greeted.

"I'm on my way home." Rory said, taking a deep breath.

"How are you holding up?" Winnie asked, knowing it had only been minutes, but knowing their love had grown over the weekend. Rory bit her lip as a tear made its way down her cheek.

"So far, not so well. I'll see you in an hour or so." Rory said.

"Yea, come here. I don't want you alone tonight." Winnie insisted. Rory smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Winnie." She said, letting out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"You bet." Winnie said before hanging up.

The cloud is gone, the hearts are raw, and Cupid is planning. Watch out, Fate.

**A/N: Yay. Sorry if I dragged out the goodbye. I really tried not to, but I sorta couldn't help it. Anyway, any ideas for surprises that could happen? Anyway, Rory_ won't_ get pregnant, I got a review and just wanted to address it. Otherwise, all ideas are welcome. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

smartmonkey101

molldollbaby

Sea4Shoes: Thank you. :0)

Hope you update soon!

MarieCherry: Jeez, I LOVE your long reviews! Aww, that sucks. :0( Well I hope R&J went well! Now, get some sleep if you haven't already!

Lorelai the Eighth: You are right, and it was a DVD that was given to Tristan. Not sure, if I understood what you meant.

bbwholly1981: Rory won't get pregnant. It adds to much of stringy details, and sorta conflicts with what's going to happen. Thanks for the suggestion, though! Anymore, send them my way. :0)

FairyGirl07: Wow, that's quite a compliment. :0) And I'll try and make it as happy as I can.

stefi690

EEL0404

TVHollywoodDiva

piper-h-99

Ninaaa: Wow…I went to Warped Tour this year, but I'm sure it wasn't nearly as good as the one you're going to!

papaslittlecj: Oh, well it was pretty close. But thanks for pointing that out!

LoVe23

brooke

photobooth romance: Thank you.

nemo123489

Kylie1403

Mongoose 187

fightingillini: Gives you a hug:0)


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident. Tristan goes to England for a medical program for 6 months, and has to leave Rory in the states.

My amazing beta who, with all the drama and unfortunate events happening, still managed to beta my story and making it so much better. Thank you, and hope you're feeling better.

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Seventeen:

"Rory?" a soft voice asked, as Rory felt a light shaking. She groaned and turned over, opening her eyes. Winnie was gazing down at her.

"Yea?" Rory groaned in response.

"It's eight o'clock. I tried to let you sleep as much as possible, but we should go now, we're already a bit late." Rory nodded and got up.

"You think Sven will mind if we're late?" She yawned.

"I think he'll shit a brick, but who cares? This was so much more important." Rory smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I umm, don't have any clothes with me." Rory said sighing. Winnie handed Rory a bag. Rory looked inside and saw some of Winnie's clothes. Rory smiled a thanks and left for the bathroom. Winnie smiled sadly after her friend and went to her kitchen.

"How is she?" Rob asked pouring a cup of coffee. Winnie shrugged.

"She was on the phone with her mom for a lot of last night. I think she's cried out. I walked in sometime during the night and her pillow was soaked. I brought her another one. I don't think she even noticed." Winnie said sadly. Rob nodded and gently rubbed Winnie's arm.

"You guys should get going. I need to leave soon too." He said taking a sip from his travel mug. Winnie nodded and sighed as Rob gathered his stuff.

"I'm ready." Rory said coming into the kitchen. Winnie nodded and took a gulp from Rob's mug.

"I'll see you tonight." Winnie said kissing Rob quickly before she and Rory exited the apartment. They got into Rory's car, now that Winnie was once again allowed to carpool with Rory. It was a silent car ride, and Winnie could tell that Rory was buried in her feelings and memories of the weekend. She knew that it was probably one of the saddest times for her, but in a way, also one of the happiest.

They were still silent when they went into the elevator and arrived on their floor. Winnie said a quiet goodbye as they went to their separate offices. Rory sighed as she shut her door and plopped down in her chair. She turned on her computer and bit her lip. The next few weeks would suck.

"You can do this, Rory, you're strong and successful." She chided herself.

"It'll be just like last week. You'll see him in a week, and then after that another week. Uh huh, you won't see him for twenty-five and a half weeks." Rory finished, groaning. She checked her email and started her work for that day. The next time she looked up, she saw that five hours had passed and a prepackaged lunch had been completely devoured, although she didn't recall touching it. She sighed and pushed back in her chair, when she heard a knock.

"Yea?" Rory answered, somewhat frustrated.

"Hey, how's today been going so far?" Winnie asked sympathetically.

"Sucky." Rory whined. Winnie nodded and licked her lips.

"You know…Rob did that trip." Winnie said thinking about it. Rory looked at her in confusion.

"I mean we were kinda in the same position as you, but we were engaged and I was with him in England." Rory looked at her interestedly.

"You never told me that." Winnie just shrugged.

"I know, but you know, if you really miss him, you could always get a flight. They've got like 10 different airlines flying there daily. You should have no problem whatsoever." Winnie suggested. Rory twisted her mouth and let out a deep breath.

"Yea, we'll see. It's not even been a day yet. We'll see how I am by the end of the week." She said, trying to sound strong. Winnie nodded encouragingly.

"Well, you know where I am." Winnie offered.

"That I do." Rory said in a grateful tone. It was quiet for a few minutes, before Winnie grinned.

"So…tell me about the weekend." Rory took in Winnie's face and knew she was only talking about one thing. The physical contact. Rory let a smile cover her face as she thought about it.

"Well, one of his birthday presents was Dirty Dice, and that sorta sparked something Saturday, but he wanted to hold off to…" Rory started.

"_What_??" Winnie asked, interrupting.

"Well, he wanted to make sure I wasn't doing it because I was sad. Anyway, later that night I kinda yelled at him and got all teary. He finally realized his stupidity and we did it. You know, I've always heard rumors, but god…to actually be able to take part in it was a true experience." Winnie laughed at Rory's dazed look.

"So…?" She urged Rory on.

"So, the next morning we used the dirty dice and I, you know, umm…" Rory said before she paused and blushed slightly.

"Went down on him?" Winnie asked grinning widely. Rory nodded, the blush growing deeper.

"So, how big was he?" Winnie asked, not bothering with tact. Rory gaped at her.

"What? I'm nosey. I need visuals." Winnie said in a serious tone.

"Oh, that is so wrong." Rory said, shaking her head. They both laughed.

"So, what else?" Winnie said, urging her on.

"Well, we had to put a hold on our 'game' cause we were late in meeting his friends. When we got back to his place, we continued and he…umm…well he returned the favor." Rory explained, grinning as she recalled the events of that night. Winnie smiled and clapped.

"You two are _so_ cute!" Winnie exclaimed. Rory cocked her head.

"You've never even met him…or seen a picture for that matter." Rory said skeptically.

"And whose fault is that?" Winnie groused.

"I got some this weekend, when I get them developed, I'll bring them in." Rory promised.

"Good, I need a face to attach this name to a face." Winnie said, nodding her approval. Rory leaned back in her chair. Winnie noticed the small smile on her face.

"So you had a very active weekend, then?" She asked, catching Rory off guard. Rory nodded, blushing slightly.

"Oh stop, what you did is perfectly normal. I mean, seriously. It's not like I can condemn you for doing it...I'm pregnant for God's sake!" She said grinning. Rory laughed.

"Well, you never know. That baby could be the result of Immaculate Conception." Rory laughed. Winnie rolled her eyes.

"Alright, _Mary_." Winnie teased. Rory's eyes widened. She'd never told Winnie that Tristan gave her that nickname.

"Oh come on, you slept over my place last night, and you had all your crap everywhere. Again, I'm nosey." Winnie explained, not the least bit embarrassed. Rory shook her head, but smiled nonetheless.

"So what's your mom saying?" Winnie asked.

"She's being supportive. I mean, I love him, and she loves him too. She's glad that I'm with him. She said she was about to hit me over the head with a smart stick." Rory said. Winnie giggled.

"I'm just glad he's happy, you know? I mean, ever since college, it was his dream to be a doctor…that way he could help people like they could never help his grandfather. He was really close to him, and when he was hospitalized, the hospital couldn't do much. I remember being at the funeral, and Tristan telling me he was going to be a doctor. He said he didn't want anyone else to suffer like his grandfather had." Rory said, her voice full of melancholy. Winnie looked in awe.

"You've got someone special Rory. Hold on to him." Winnie said sincerely.

"Oh believe me, if I held any tighter, my hands would be grey from lack of oxygen." They both laughed.

"And it sounds like our significant others would like each other. Rob became a doctor because his little brother got very sick when he was younger and he died when he was just two. They couldn't diagnose him. Rob didn't want people to have to go through the loss of someone for a medical fault." Winnie said, and then noticed Rory deep in thought.

"Rory?" Winnie called out, trying to break Rory of her trance.

"Sorry, just thinking. I just miss him. Life kinda sucks right now." She mumbled, sounding so sad, it broke Winnie's heart.

"Don't be so dramatic! He's in _England_ for god sakes, not _Mars_." Both Rory and Winnie's heads shot up to see Mark giving them a bored look.

"So, if Laura went to England for 6 months, you'd have no problem with that?" Winnie snapped.

"Okay, fine, I would, but I wouldn't be moping around. Christian clearly loves you, so it'll all be dandy." Mark said as if the words were printed on a cue card. Rory cocked an eyebrow.

"Dandy?" She scoffed at his choice of words. Mark waved her off.

"So I assume you've been talking about Christian and this weekend. So, spill." He asked, acting as though he'd done nothing wrong. Both women glared at him.

"First, it's_ Tristan_, and second it was very nice. We spent the weekend at nice dinners and just spending some nice quiet time together." Rory said calmly.

"Uh huh, sure. You two were going at it like rabbits." He ignored Rory's horrified face and Winnie's hysterical face and continued, "You_ know_, I have the perfect solution for you. You should hang up some metal band posters in here. It would definitely liven it up and give you something to look at. It'll be a…distraction." Rory bit her lip and cringed.

"Mark?" She asked in an overly sweet voice.

"Yea?" He asked, not catching the look in her eye.

"Shut up." She said, deadpanned.

"Suggestion noted, suggestion rejected. So how about it? Maybe some Marilyn Manson? Oh Seether is big now. Or what about Underoath? Maybe Rise Against." He listed off. Rory rolled her eyes and pushed her chair back.

"Leave." She said pointing.

"Hey! Why?" He asked, surprised at her outburst.

"I told you to shut up, you're NOT helping." She glared. Mark just smiled and shrugged.

"Look, all I'm trying to say is that, it's England. It's not_ that_ far away. And plus, at least he's still alive. Fill your mind with thoughts of how he's alive and with you. Some people can't get them back." He said seriously. Rory's face softened.

"Jeez Utelle, when did you get so damn philosophical. It doesn't suit you, and quite frankly, you just creeped me out." Winnie said, shuddering. They all kind of smiled and looked at each other, but clutched their chests at the new voice.

"What is going on here?" The voice of Sven boomed.

"Nothing sir, we're just discussing new articles." Winnie said, being the first one to come up with something.

"Sure, why is it that every time I come here, you're all in here? Does Gilmore's office have some kind of magnetic field I was not aware of? Should I move her office?" Sven asked, very annoyed.

"Oh, sir that won't be…" Rory started.

"Necessary?" Sven interrupted.

"Okay, Gilmore, you're fired." Sven continued without waiting for an answer.

"What? Wait, what did I do? They're always in _my_ office." Rory pointed out.

"True. Utelle…Brenner, you're fired." Sven replied without a second thought.

"Yea, okay Sven." Winnie said as she patted him on the shoulder. Sven only groaned and stalked out of the office.

"What?" Winnie asked at the two staring faces. They just shrugged and looked away.

NNNNNNNNNN

"Non-Urgent, Curtain 5. Possible fracture in the left radius." He read out loud as he walked towards the curtain. He opened it and saw a 12 year old boy sitting there clutching his arm tightly, wincing every few seconds.

"Hey, I'm Dr. Dugrey." Tristan said shutting the curtain behind him, as he introduced himself to the boy's mother, then shook her hand. She smiled slightly, trying to be strong in front of her son, but clearly distraught.

"Hi." Tristan turned to the boy.

"So, what happened?" He asked, pulling a chair up in front of the boy.

"I was playing with some friends and we were on a fence and I jumped off and fell on my arm." Tristan nodded.

"Well, did you have fun?" He asked. The boy looked confused.

"Yea, until I fell." He said, not knowing what to make of Tristan.

"Alright, well let's make sure your fun didn't fracture your arm. Okay, I'm going to press a few places on your arm, and if it hurts lemme know?" The boy nodded hesitantly as Tristan gently extended the boys arm. He winced as Tristan gently felt the swollen area.

"Can you bend your arm for me?" The boy did but with much pain.

"Good, how about turning your wrist? Like this." He said showing him first. The boy could do it too, but gasped in pain as he finished the turn.

"Alright buddy, how about some X-rays?" The boy shrugged. Tristan smiled and turned to the boy's mother.

"My guess would be a sprain since he was able to move his wrist, but since there is not much tissue in the wrist, the swelling could also mean just a bad sprain." He explained to her. She relaxed slightly. "So…I'm sorry, but did you have x-rays when you came in?" He asked her.

"Yes." She answered. Tristan nodded.

"Alright, lemme go check on those. In the meantime, try and keep your forearm and wrist still." The boy nodded as he left. Moments later he came back, having quickly examined them.

"Alright, so you have minimal damage done, but you did get a minor crack on your scaphoid, which is a small bone in your wrist. I'm going to have you wear a cast for just a few weeks, not your normal six, just to make sure it heals fully." They both nodded, and Tristan gathered the materials and made a cast. Tristan looked at his watch. He had been there since seven that morning and hadn't even stopped for lunch till it was one o'clock. He sighed; every single one of his patients had been transferred and settled in with the new doctor.

He only had one more left, and he knew that would be the hardest. He was an older man with a chronic heart condition that kept him in the hospital for weeks at a time, constantly. He immediately developed a liking to Tristan, and requested him each time his heart brought him back. Tristan was always sad when the man has discharged.

He had just finished his side work and his time in the ER and was planning on leaving soon, he just had to check in with the one man. He was on his way, when Sean stopped him.

"Hey man, how ya doing?" Sean asked. Tristan sighed.

"Better, still kinda down, but I know it'll get better. Ya know?" He answered, half-heartedly.

"Yea, I suppose." Sean nodded in understanding. "Where you off to now?" He asked.

"I just have to transfer Mr. Shields' to another doctor." Sean nodded, familiar with the patient.

"He was asking for you earlier. He was rambling on about young love and you being a moron." Sean told him, amusement clear in his voice. Tristan laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Alright, well I'll catch up with you later." Tristan said as he continued down the hall. He entered the room and saw that the old man was sitting up, watching some TV. Upon seeing Tristan, he shut it off.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here. Even I can walk faster than you." Mr. Shields said. Tristan smiled and laughed.

"Really? Can we have a race?" Tristan asked with a smirk.

"You're a doctor. You're supposed to make sure I get better, idiot." Mr. Shields snapped in mock irritation.

"Sean told me you wanted to see me." The man nodded and looked away for a brief moment.

"You look good." Mr. Shields observed.

"Umm, thank you sir." Tristan answered, not sure where this was headed.

"Jim, call me _Jim_!" He said exasperatedly.

"_Jim_, was that it?" Tristan replied.

"Silly boy, no. Sit." Jim commanded Tristan. Tristan nodded slowly and pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Wait, shut the door." Jim ordered. Tristan shook his head and got up to shut the door.

"Anything else before I sit down?" Tristan asked.

"Don't be smart. Sit." Jim reprimanded. Tristan nodded his head and sat down.

"How's Rory?" He asked suddenly. Tristan gave him a look.

"How…?" Tristan asked before Jim cut him off.

"Honestly, boy. I'm not stupid. You were with her this weekend. I can tell. I was in love too once you know." He said giving Tristan a pointed look.

"I know." Tristan sighed.

"So? How is she? Still beautiful I imagine?" Jim asked seeing the glazed look on Tristan's face. Tristan smiled, and thought back to the time when he had first told Jim about Rory. He showed him a picture of her and spent over two hours just talking to him about her.

"Very much so, and she's fine. We're kinda in a rough place right now though." Tristan sighed, remembering how she looked when she left.

"Why?" He demanded. Tristan took a deep breath.

"Remember that abroad program in England?" Tristan explained as Jim nodded.

"Well, I was one of the ones picked which means that I'll be in England for 6 months." Tristan announced.

"Who will look after me?!" Jim asked in surprise.

"I don't know, I was wondering if there was a specific doctor you'd like?" Tristan asked, not expecting this reaction. The old man smiled kindly.

"Tristan, I was kidding. I trust you to transfer me to someone of equal talent as you. What I want to know about is the girl." Jim offered. Tristan smiled, and then sighed.

"I love her, god I love her so much, but I'm going to be gone for six months. It's going to be hard on both of us. I'm not sure which one of us will suffer more. I guess I feel bad making her wait for me." He rambled.

"Don't be stupid." Jim reprimanded. "She loves you?" He asked. Tristan nodded.

"Then she'll wait for you. Tell her if she's ever in the area to come visit me. I want to meet this young lady. And as far as your concern for her waiting and you feeling bad, one day you will ask her to marry you. Don't feel bad. She's waiting for a reason." Jim said knowingly. Tristan looked at the man shell-shocked. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Jim sighed.

"You know what you need?" Jim asked. Tristan shook his head.

"Music. Before you get on that plane, buy two CD's. First, her favorite CD, and then go to the metal section and place your finger on the first album in the section, then close your eyes. Move your finger along the ridges until you feel like you've come to the right one. Pick it up and don't look at the title until you've already paid for it. When you're at cruising altitude on the plane, play it. Don't judge it, just listen. When you land in England, I want you to call me. Can you do that?" Jim asked seriously.

"Yea." Tristan nodded, slightly confused. "I can."

"You're a good person Tristan. You will do great things…have already done great things. I'll be here when you get back." Jim said, shaking Tristan's hand, and patting him on the back. Tristan smiled and nodded.

NNNNNNNN

"Hello?" Rory said anxiously answering her cell phone.

"Hey baby." Came the smooth voice. Rory sighed a breath of relief. She'd been waiting for Tristan to call for a few hours now. She was painfully aware of the fact that Tristan's flight was leaving in less than an hour.

"Hi!" She answered breathily.

"I'm at the airport now, I'm waiting at the gate. I figured now would be a good time to call you." He said hesitantly.

"Yea. Well thank you for calling." Rory said awkwardly.

"You think I'm just going to leave a phone conversation like that? Never." Tristan chuckled.

"I'm sorry, it's just hard." She said, sighing again.

"I know." He said in a soft voice.

"If I'm able to, can I come visit you?" She asked suddenly, not wanting to lose her nerve.

"I would love that, Rory. But only if you're free. I have to do work, and so do you. But if you're ever free, I'll make time for you." Tristan said smiling. She heard sigh.

"What?" She asked, concerned.

"Just thinking." He said

"What about?" She pressed.

"Nothing in particular, just us in general." He shrugged, even though she couldn't see him.

"Umm, okay." Rory said confused. A moment passed.

"I'm gonna miss you." He blurted out. She smiled.

"Just hurry up home okay?" She said.

"I promise." Tristan nodded to another doctor going on the trip.

"So did you remember to pack everything?"

"I hope so." They both laughed.

"Got Tristan?" She asked, smiling.

"Aw shit, I knew I forgot something!" Tristan said smirking.

"Shut up. That was a serious question." She said, in a mock reprimanding tone.

"Yes, I have my stuffed toy dog." He said, deadpanned.

"And you'll think of me every night?" She asked only half serious.

"Every moment." He promised.

"Okay." It was silent for a moment.

"Hey Rory?" He asked.

"Hmm?" She said, fighting back tears.

"What's your favorite CD?" He asked, thinking back to the conversation he had, had with Jim Shields.

"Uh, well at the moment or in general?" She asked, caught off guard.

"Either one." He asked nonchalantly.

"I guess I'd have to say…Counting Crows." She answered.

"That's a band?" He asked.

"A very good band. You've never heard of Counting Crows?" She asked incredulous.

"I dunno, probably. I don't remember." Tristan put his bags down and left to find the nearest CD store. He found one almost immediately and started searching through the bins. He found it and bought a metal CD as well.

"Why do you wanna know my favorite CD?" She asked, curious.

"Did I ever tell you about a man named Jim Shields?" He asked as he paid for his CDs.

"Umm, nope." Rory said thinking. She tapped her finger against her chin.

"Well, he's an amazing man. He reminds me of my grandfather. Anyway, he told me to do this thing with listening to music, and I forgot. So I had to do it and ask you who your favorite band is." He explained. Rory nodded confusedly.

"Okay, well, I could've given you the CD or mailed it to you so you didn't have to spend fifteen plus dollars on a new one." She said, still not sure what his purpose was. Tristan shrugged.

"It's okay, my dear." He said smiling. Rory smiled at his words. It was silent for a while before Rory heard a loud sigh through the phone.

"Hey, babe, I gotta admit, I'm going through withdrawal. I can already feel the nausea and headaches and muscles spasms coming on from not being with you. I can practically see myself dry heaving over the toilet." He dramatized, but was completely serious. Rory laughed.

"But this is an emotional withdrawal. It's all in your head." She tried appeasing him.

"No, it's physical too. Have no qualms about that." He smirked. Rory laughed.

"Well, I wouldn't say I've gone into withdrawal _yet_, but I certainly do miss you." She said honestly.

"And my amazing god like body." He added.

"No, but you miss _my_ body." Rory quipped with a smirk on her face.

"Ah, that I do." They sat in a comfortable silence.

"Hey Tristan?" She asked, sounding serious.

"Yea?" He asked, worried about what was to come next.

"I'm going to wait for you. I don't know if you were sure or not about this because we didn't really talk about it, but I know you have to go soon, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be here waiting for you when you get back." She said calmly, which was completely opposite from the way she was feeling. Her heart beat erratically waiting for his response. Tristan's breathing stopped. The thought had been plaguing him all week, but he was too afraid to ask. After a few seconds, he finally answered.

"I'll be awaiting the time when I can be yours and wherever you are all the time. That'll be the day, my love. A day I can call you mine forever." He said, letting out the breath he'd been holding. Rory smiled and wiped a tear away from her cheek.

"I know you need to go, I can hear the PA system announcing your flight, so I'll let you go. I love you." She said, regretfully.

"I love you too baby. Be strong." He said, hearing the tears in her voice. His heart breaking at the sound, as he fought back his own tears.

"You too." Rory smiled. Tristan licked his lips as he looked at his phone, before bringing it to his lips and kissing it.

"Have a safe flight." She smiled. He looked at his hand.

"I will." He said, before hanging up. He sat in his plane seat and turned on Rory's favorite CD. He closed his eyes and let the song play as the plane levitated off the ground into the fluffy clouds above.

_I am colorblind _

_Coffee black and egg white _

_Pull me out from inside _

_I am ready _

_I am ready _

_I am ready _

_I am _

_Taffy stuck, tongue tied _

_Stuttered shook and uptight _

_Pull me out from inside _

_I am ready _

_I am ready _

_I am ready _

_I am...fine _

_I am covered in skin _

_No one gets to come in _

_Pull me out from inside _

_I am folded, and unfolded, and unfolding _

_I am _

_Colorblind _

_Coffee black and egg white _

_Pull me out from inside _

_I am ready _

_I am ready _

_I am ready _

_I am...fine _

_I am... fine _

_I am fine_

**A/N: So do I officially or unofficially suck? It's been almost three months since I updated and I could give you a long list of all my pathetic excuses, but I won't. I'll just give you the top two. :0) I'm in a playwriting class. In my free time, I do NOT want to be writing. Lol. Second reason, I wasn't sure what to do with this chapter, so it's just a longish filler. Next chapter will be longer. Anyway, I've been getting ideas and I'm using some, some not. So keep sending them. :0) Thanks everyone. You're amazing. ****Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki. **

**P.S. The song is "Colorblind" by Counting Crows. It's a beautiful song. :0) **

**And the story, "From War to Family" has been updated and completed so if you haven't already, check it out! **

roze

Curley-Q

TrisRoryorRoryHuntzfanforev...:I think I messaged you your suggestion, but I don't remember. I thank you for your suggestion, but in order for everything to go as planned, he needs to be away. If you have any other suggestions I'll definitely think about them. He doesn't need to be in England though, so if you have any ideas about that, lemme know!

Amy: Neither, I didn't know what to write, and my writing muse was being squashed by the demands of playwriting at school. I hope this one was okay, though. I tried to just get SOMETHING out.

Sea4Shoes

2006-10-17

softballblondi

princetongirl

Spreeaholic1

citygrl: Welll, I had this planned before Logan left for London. Haha. Anyway, thank you!

Ninaaa

Kylie1403: My current plan with the 6-month thing IS; I'm going to have three chapters before he comes back (this being the first of three). I don't want to drag it out, but still…it's 6 months, that's a long time. Does that sound reasonable or should I add/delete chapters?

EEL0404

Fallen Heart

Alenor

Stars Hallow townie: Wow, thank you! I was hoping I would get that reaction from people for the goodbye.

MarieCherry: Noo, don't worry, I fall out of my chair ALL the time! In fact, I tripped while getting off my chair today. LOL. I hope this chapter settles your need!

smartmonkey101

TVHollywoodDiva

LoVe23

photobooth romance

fightingillini: Well thank you!

FairyGirl07

Mongoose 187

nemo123489


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident. Tristan goes to England for a medical program for 6 months, and has to leave Rory in the states.

La, my wonderful beta who made the love scene better. By the way, I kept it. I liked it. It was good:0) Thank you, you're awesome!!!!

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Eighteen:

_FLASH BACK_

"_Where are we going?" Rory asked as Paris pulled her by the hands._

"_You'll see! I can't tell you." Paris said cryptically. This was definitely not normal behavior for her._

"_Paris!" Rory whined. Paris said nothing._

"_Then can you at least slow down?" Rory asked when Paris made no signs of giving in._

"_Fine." She slowed down to a normal walk as she continued to drag Rory. Rory tried to catch her breath and rubbed her stomach as she thought about the baby and all the jostling it must have just felt._

"_So why are you in such a hurry? Is there some kind of party I wasn't aware of?" Rory asked as they neared a house._

"_No, not exactly." Paris led her into the house and up the stairs. Rory stopped for a moment at the top to catch her breath._

"_Come on Gilmore."_

"_Paris!" Rory admonished. She was pregnant for god sakes! Paris sighed as she stopped in front of a room. Her voice dropped to a loud whisper._

"_Before you say anything, just here me out okay?" Rory nodded suspiciously._

"_I am your friend. I know it might not always seem like it, but I really am. Anyone who is a human can see how torn you are with Tristan. It was a stupid fight over how good of friends you guys were, and it was stupid. Especially because you're pregnant and say things you don't mean. That's both of your faults." Rory raised her eyebrows._

"_My point is that, Tristan is currently in that room. I managed to convince him to at least just talk this over with you. Just try? If not for you, then for me?" Paris asked, showing her rare sympathetic side. Rory sighed. _

"_Fine." Rory said softly. Paris let out a breath and pointed to the room. Rory walked past her and slowly entered the room._

"_I'll wait here." Paris said as Rory shut the door behind her. Rory turned around and saw Tristan sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. She slowly made her way over to the bed._

"_Hey." She said softly. He lifted his head up and scooted over on the bed to make room for her. She sat down. It was silent for awhile._

"_I'm confused." He said out of the blue. Rory turned to him._

"_What?" She said, taking in his appearance._

"_You've just been talking a lot to Logan. I mean, I distinctly remember you running out of his apartment crying because he's a jerk and treated you like shit. Not to mention, he wanted you to have an abortion. I think I just don't understand where this change of heart is from." He said, trying to tone down his frustration._

"_He's the father, Tristan." She said, tiredly._

"_Yea, I know that, but that doesn't excuse his behavior and most of all doesn't mean you should forgive him." He said adamantly, turning to face her._

"_But I do. He said he was sorry, what more do you want?" She asked incredulously._

"_What more do I want?" He exclaimed. "It has nothing to do with what I want. You're my best friend and it's my job to look out for you. When I see someone deliberately playing you for reasons I don't even want to think about, it's my job to protect you from it." He said adamantly._

"_I don't need protecting. I'm 22; I can fight for myself, thank you." She said curtly before standing up._

"_Then do both you and your baby a favor and forget about him." He said frankly._

"_Did you ever think that maybe he _loves_ me? That maybe he had a change of heart?" She said, looking at him with wide eyes, wondering how this could be the same person she considered one of her best friends._

"_Please, people like him don't just have a _change of heart_. He's after something. Maybe the next heir to his family fortunes." He scoffed._

"_Don't judge, you fucking hypocrite!" Rory sputtered._

"_Hypocrite? Okay, that would be true if I were still the same guy you knew in high school." He said, his voice showing both anger and hurt. "And you know what? I _can_ judge him because I used to be him! So don't go telling me that I'm a hypocrite Miss, 'You need to look out for yourself before anyone else'." He said, standing up and staring her straight in the eye. Rory gaped at him. She couldn't say anything because he was right. Perfectly right. He sighed and lowered his voice._

"_When you're ready to do something about the fact that you're being trampled on, come find me. Until then, good luck." Tristan said sadly and left. Rory started to cry and ran after him._

"_Tristan, wait! Come back!" She ran and passed Paris who looked bewildered. Paris stared on in confusion as Rory ran to the stairs after Tristan. He was nearing the door when Rory missed a step and fell, bringing down the glass bowl that was sitting on the railing._

"_Ahh." Rory screamed as she fell down the stairs. Tristan turned around briefly._

"_Oh my god, Rory!" Paris yelled as she ran down the stairs to where Rory was gasping in pain and clutching her stomach. _

"_Tristan!" Paris yelled to Tristan. He ran back and looked at Rory._

"_She'll be okay, she probably just got bumped a little on her way down." Tristan said looking her over quickly._

"_I need to go, she'll be fine." Tristan gave Rory one more sad look, before leaving. Paris looked shocked at Tristan's behavior but quickly turned her attention to Rory, who let out a screech._

"_Paris…" Rory gasped._

"_What?" She asked as she rushed over to Rory who was lying down in a fetus position._

"_I'm having…trouble…breathing." Rory managed to get out as she squeezed her eyes shut. Paris looked on in panic as Rory moved her arm to reveal blood seeping through her shirt._

"_Oh my god." Paris quickly lifted up her shirt to see a piece of glass poking out of her skin and other broken pieces surrounding her. Blood was making streaks against her pale skin._

"_The baby." Rory whispered as tears fell down her cheeks. She let out a yelp. "It hurts." As pain once again encased her._

"_Okay, uhh, we need to umm get you to a hospital!" Paris said trying to get Rory to stand up._

"_No!" She screamed in pain as her shirt became more bloodied. Paris let out a strangled cry as she quickly took out her cell phone and dialed 911._

"_911, what's the emergency?" The dispatcher answered._

"_My friend she fell down the stairs and she has glass in her and she's pregnant. Blood everywhere." Paris said letting the words flow._

"_Okay, ma'am, can you give me a location?"_

"_Yale on-campus housing. Number 8." Paris said recalling the number plate she saw on the door._

"_An ambulance is on its way." Paris nodded as she hung up and sat next to Rory who was losing color._

"_Gilmore, can you hear me?" Rory nodded slightly. Paris let a tear fall down her cheek._

"_Come on Rory, hang in there." Paris kept shaking Rory slightly to make sure she didn't go unconscious. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard the sirens approaching the house._

_END _FLASHBACK

Rory woke up with a start, breathing heavily and holding her chest. She looked down and saw that she wasn't pregnant, or bloody.

"It was a dream." She said quietly, letting the memory slowly fade away. She took in the surroundings and saw she was on a plane.

"What the…" She turned next to her to see an older woman sitting there, with her husband on her other side.

"Excuse me?" Rory asked shyly. The older woman turned her head towards Rory.

"Yes?" She answered, giving Rory a kind smile.

"I'm sorry, why am I on this plane?" Rory asked. The woman looked confused, then noticed her tired gaze.

"Well honey, I'm not sure about you, but we're going to England to see our daughter, Michelle. She's there on business." Rory nodded. _England. Oh yea._ She was visiting Tristan. Immediately a smile engulfed her features. She hadn't seen him in over three months and she missed him like crazy. She bit her lip and thanked the elderly woman before leaning back in her chair and sighing. Besides the flashback, she was pretty happy.

"Do you know what time we touch down, by any chance?" Rory asked. The woman looked at her husband's watch.

"In about an hour dear." Rory nodded and fell back into a peaceful nap. About an hour later, she woke up as she felt vibrations below her.

"Are we landing?" She asked the woman.

"Landing gear just came down. It'll be about ten minutes." Rory smiled and nodded. As they were getting off the plane, the older woman turned to Rory.

"Do you remember why you were on the plane now?" Rory nodded and smiled.

"My boyfriend is in England for six months in a medical program. I haven't seen him in three months, so I wanted to visit him." She said smiling, as she thought of finally seeing Tristan. The woman nodded in awe.

"That's wonderful dear. I hope you have a good trip." She said gently, giving Rory another warm smile.

"Thank you, you too." Rory said as she walked through Heathrow airport to the exit. She hailed a cab and read Tristan's address off a piece of paper. The driver nodded as Rory watched out the window and then settled on looking at her hands. Even though she'd visited Europe many times, the whole driving on the left side of the road instead of the right side thing still made her nervous. She let out a soft breath as she felt the cab come to stop.

"Miss, we're here." He said. His British accent made her smile. She handed the man a twenty and climbed out with her small luggage bag. She looked up in front of her and saw a dark grey stone building. A subconscious smile made its way onto her face. She bit her lip as she entered the building. A security guard at the desk stopped her.

"Miss?" Rory turned.

"Oh hi, I'm visiting." Rory said walking over to the desk.

"Visiting? Well, if you could just sign in, then." The man said, pushing a clipboard closer to her. Rory nodded and signed her name. She started to walk away, but realized she didn't know where she was going.

"Umm, could you tell me what room Tristan Dugrey is in?" Rory asked timidly. The man nodded and rustled through a packet of papers. The man looked up, frowning.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't see a Tristan Dugrey. Is there another name it could be under?" Rory furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head.

"No, that's his only name." Rory said biting her lip. "This is where the doctors from Connecticut are, right?"

"I'm not sure." The man said apologetic.

"Do you have an address?" He asked. Rory handed him the sheet of paper. "That's this building." The man said. Rory took the sheet back and frowned. She looked at the paper once more before looking back up again. She noticed the security man had a small smile on his face.

"Is there something funny?" Rory asked. How could he find something funny? She was somewhat lost in a foreign country.

"No, ma'am." The man said, his smile growing larger. She followed his gaze and turned around.

"Tristan?" Rory asked, thinking her eyes were deceiving her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, six foot. Yes, Tristan was really there. She squealed happily as she jumped into his arms. He made a groaning sound as he held her tightly against him.

"God I missed you." He said softly into her ear as he let her go.

"Me too." She whispered back, somewhat in shock that she was finally in his arms again.

"You missed you too?" Tristan asked, teasing. Rory smiled and gave him another hug. Once they separated, Tristan took her hand in his and faced the guard.

"Thank you." He said. The guard nodded and smiled.

"Sure. Have a good stay, ma'am." He said, smiling at Rory.

"You set this up?" Rory said accusingly. Tristan grinned and nodded.

"I wanted to surprise you." Rory scoffed as they entered the elevator.

"You scared me. I didn't know if I'd find you." Rory said, fidgeting. Tristan smiled at her worried look. The elevator doors closed as he came in front of her. He put his hand under her chin and lifted her gaze to his.

"But you did. And even if you had the wrong address, you _do_ have an international phone. And you do have my number." He said sweetly.

"Oh." Rory sighed as she stared into the blue eyes she'd missed.

"Come here." Tristan said softly and leaned down. He left a soft lingering kiss on her lips. He heard Rory whimper.

"I missed you so much." Rory said sadly. Tristan nodded as the doors opened. He grabbed her hand again as they walked down the hall. They stopped in front of 10C.

"This is me." Tristan said as he pushed the door open.

"I figured I'd only be gone for a few minutes, so I just left the door unlock…"

"Tristan?" Rory asked, interrupting, her confidence building.

"Yea?" He asked, turning around.

"Don't talk." He gave her a funny look. She smiled at him as she shut the door behind her and leaned up, kissing him forcefully. He grinned against her lips as he leaned his arm against the wall right above her head. Working her lips against his, she slid her arms up his chest onto his shoulders, pulling him closer. All of a sudden, she moved her head, causing the kiss to end.

"Is there anyone else here?" Rory asked, apprehensive. Tristan shook his head, and went to her neck, laying gentle kisses just behind her ear.

"No, why?" He mumbled, continuing to kiss her neck.

"Because it would be embarrassing if your roommate walked in and we were in the middle of something." She said, and she felt him grin against her neck.

"Nope, no roommate." he said, gently biting down. She let out a soft moan. He continued kissing her neck and again bit down on her collarbone. Rory pulled him closer to her, yearning to feel him all over her.

"Tristan?" She breathed, trying to concentrate on her thoughts.

"Shh." He silenced her, placing his lips over hers once more. Her thoughts disappeared as he worked his mouth over hers and slid his tongue between her soft, wet lips. She threaded her fingers through his soft hair as he pushed her further into the wall, causing friction between them both. He nipped her lips a few times before pulling back slightly. She stared back at him, wondering why he stopped.

"I want to wait." He said. Rory's jaw dropped. Was he kidding? She moved out of his grasp, very hurt. He sighed, realizing it came out wrong. He caught her wrist and turned her around. "Would you listen before you get all emotional on me?"

She stared at him, with wide eyes, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that I'm not stupid enough to reject you like last time. I learned my mistake and you didn't let me finish. Maybe if you let me finish, you won't get upset." He said, trying not to sound too agitated. She'd been here less than five minutes and already they were off to a bad start. She licked her lips, motioning for him to continue.

"If we do it right now, then we won't get out of bed…_ever_. I wanted to show you a little bit around England first, maybe introduce you to a few people, and then we can have a quiet…" She quirked an eyebrow at the word 'quiet'. Catching that look, he amended his statement. "…okay, it'll probably be far from quiet, but we'll have the rest of the night just to ourselves." Rory bit her lip, thinking about it. She frowned, although her anger had faded. A slight smirk came to her face.

"You do realize I haven't seen you in three months, right?" Rory asked, eyebrows raised.

"Painfully aware." He groaned, reaching out for her

"I have an idea." She said, letting him pull her against him.

"Yea?" He asked smiling, happy that her mood had changed.

"Yea. How about we spend tonight alone, and then we go out tomorrow. I'm not in the mood to go sightseeing. And plus, I didn't come to England to see Big Ben or whatever you were planning on showing me. I came for _you_." She said poking him in the stomach. He nodded.

"Is that what you want?" He asked, making sure.

"_Want_? No, no Tristan. At this point, it's _need_." She said grinning seductively. He grinned back and leaned down to kiss her lightly.

"Can I at least give you a tour of my temporary residence?" He paused, before he spoke again, his voice low and hoarse unable to hide his own need. "And then I promise to fuck your brains out." He kissed her ear. He felt her shiver against him and nod. He pointed as he named each thing. "Kitchen, couch, TV, study table, bookcase, textbooks, food, coffee, bathroom through that door, bedroom through that one, amazingly comfy lazy boy, and last but not least my beautiful amazing girlfriend." He said as his finger stopped and pointed at her. She smiled and pulled his arm down.

"So you don't have a roommate?" She asked, giving him a wicked smile.

"Nope, they view studying as a solitary activity. Odd folks they are." He said teasing. Rory laughed, remembering that she had once said the same thing.

"Am I staying with you in your room?" She asked. He shrugged.

"If you'd like…I'd like it if you would, but the couch is surprisingly comfy if you want." He offered. She nodded.

"I'll stay with you." She said smiling. He grinned. "Hey, I'll be right back, I'm just going to put my bag in your room." She said. Tristan just nodded.

"Can I make you some coffee?" He asked as she started to walk away. She looked back and grinned widely. Once she was inside the room, she closed the door and set her bag down. She quickly unzipped it, and began to sort through the obscene amounts of clothing she'd brought with her. She heard Tristan shuffling around, and opening cabinets.

He figured she'd want the brewed kind, and not the instant one. After all she'd often shared her thoughts about opening a coffee taste testing company. He heard her emerge from the room and raised his eyebrow at the bathrobe she replaced her clothes with. He poured her a steaming cup and watched as she drank it straight black. She drank about half of it before setting it down. She took the cup out of Tristan's hands.

"Hey, I wasn't done with that!" He whined. She had a small smile as she placed her fingers against his lips. He kissed them gently, and watched, as her pupils slowly got larger in the dim light. Her smile slowly faded as her _need_ once again became apparent.

"Don't make me beg you this time." She said softly, but seriously. He shook his head and pulled her close against him. He kissed her forehead and cupped her cheek, tilting her head up as he bent his head down, meeting her halfway. As soon as he touched her lips with his, she whimpered needing him closer. He broke the kiss and slowly dragged her to his bedroom. He shut the door behind him and joined Rory on the bed. She was lying down, and he came next to her, hovering over her. She pulled his shirt up and over his head. She admired his chest for a minute before kissing him quickly. His eyes scaled down her body.

"What's with the bathrobe?" He asked smiling as he stared into her eyes. She smiled and bit her cheek.

"Do you really want to know?" She asked shyly. He nodded eagerly. She grinned as she undid the tie tantalizingly slow.

"Oh for god sakes, you're gonna kill me." He said moving her hands so he could untie it quicker. As soon as he unknotted the rope, she pushed his hands away and rolled off the bed. She kept it closed with her hands.

"I just wanted to mention that I've had this…outfit…since August. I was going to wear it when I came to Hartford, but for reasons we'll leave unsaid, I wasn't able to wear it for you." She prepped him. He cocked an eyebrow as he watched her eye him.

"Well?" He asked, getting impatient. She rolled her eyes and sighed, before tying her robe once and getting back onto the bed. She crawled over to him and pushed him down into the bed, hovering over him.

"I wanna see what you have underneath that." He whined, once again trying to disrobe her.

"Not yet." She whispered. She unbuttoned his jeans and tried to push them down. He helped her and once they were off, leaving him in only boxers, he pulled her down on top of him kissing her forcefully on her lips. He took her bottom lip in his teeth and pulled her towards him.

"Please take off your robe now?" He asked, almost begging. She smiled widely and shook her head, pushing down against him, making the blood rush quicker. He grunted before flipping her over and settling between her legs. She let out a soft moan as he grinded against her, driving both of them closer.

"Show me." He breathed, grinding hard against her. She gasped and bit her lip at the hardness rubbing against her through thin material. She nodded.

"Will you show me?" He asked his voice thick with want, unable to hold off much longer. She nodded quickly. He slowed down his pace. The loss of friction made them both frown. She pushed up, and Tristan sat back so Rory could sit up on her knees. She quickly undid the robe again, slowly sliding it off her shoulders. Tristan almost came as he saw her in her revealing silky, black baby doll. He tried to swallow as he looked at each gold design, but suddenly his mouth was too dry. "Wow," he breathed.

She blushed and looked down sheepishly, trying to cover her exposed body. Tristan reached over quickly and took her hands in his.

"Never ever hide your body, Rory. It's beautiful." He said sincerely. She smiled, blushing profusely.

"Let's finish what we started." She said reaching up and brushing her lips against his. He eagerly leaned down kissing her demandingly. She grinned against his mouth, hoping for this effect. Gently lowering her to the bed, he climbed on top of her kissing her over and over, before kissing her cheek and moving to her neck. He sucked on the skin right above her collarbone, marking her as his. She groaned as she bucked against him anticipating his movements. He kissed his way down her chest and to the valley in between her breasts.

He massaged her shoulders as he slowly pushed down the straps of her babydoll, exposing her breasts. He took in a deep breath at the sight of her, splayed out before him, her eyes full of want and desire. He moved down kissing the exposed flesh. He gently took one of her nipples into his mouth and he heard her gasp as her back arched into him. He gently sucked and teased it with his tongue as he teased the other with his fingers. He felt her legs wrap around his waist pulling him as close as she could. One of her arms, snaked around his neck, holding him in place, and the other, running up his back, while he continued his ministrations.

As he moved his mouth to the other breast, he let his hands wander down, to take off her panties, but got a surprise when quickly found that she wasn't wearing any. In his surprise, he pulled back, with an audible pop. She grinned at the sensation and at the look of surprise on his face. The surprise faded as he began to give her a devilish look. She grinned back and grinded herself against him. He groaned again and swiftly took off his boxers. He reached down and groaned again, feeling how wet she was. He gently played with her clit, which began to slowly drive her crazy. He slipped a finger inside, getting her ready. He knew there wasn't going to be much foreplay tonight because, well…it's been three months, and he wanted nothing more than to be buried deep inside of her. Still, he wanted to prepare her.

She moaned, as he slipped in another finger and grunted, pushing up against his hand, showing her impatience. She handed him a condom and he smiled. He leaned back to put it on, then braced himself above her, getting into position. She took in a deep breath and stared into his blue eyes. She felt him slowly enter her, once again getting accustomed to his size. She pushed up a little, trying to signal him to move. He stared her down as he slowly pulled out of her.

He leaned down whispering, "Ready?" She nodded as she took a gasp of breath when he pushed himself once again all the way into her, hard and fast. With each thrust he grunted as she moved along with him. He could hear her emitting small squeaks as he pounded into her again and again. She whimpered when he slowed down. He came to an almost complete stop as he moved her legs to rest on his shoulders. He picked up his speed again, thrusting deeper and harder into her. He let out warning noises as he felt her fall, and felt her clamp around his member. Seconds later, he fell too.

Their breathing was very heavy and labored as he gently pulled out of her and went to throw away the used condom. He came back and his heart did a flip when he saw Rory laying there, in her lingerie, completely spent from the things he had just done to her. The only thing that indicated that she made any kind of movement was that her breasts were once again covered by the lace of her nightgown. God, he loved her. He pulled on his boxers and went under the covers with her. She turned to face him when she felt him behind her.

"How was that for fucking your brains out?" He asked whispering and smiling at her flushed cheeks and swollen lips.

"What's your name again?" She teased, with a dazed look in her eye. He laughed softly and kissed her gently, pulling her against him. "I'm going to be _so_ sore tomorrow." Rory said when she moved her leg, and felt a surge soreness. Tristan shrugged.

"You're also going to look like a leopard." He said pointing to the dark bruises he made on her neck. Rory opened her mouth and then just gently hit his arm.

"Well, it sucks more for you, with all the scratches and bruises I put on your back. Make sure you don't change in front of anyone." She said knowingly. Tristan laughed heartily.

"Even?" he asked, extending his hand.

"No way." She said, smiling.

"I can't wear tank tops or low cut shirts now!" She admonished.

"Rory, it's September. Tank top and skimpy shirt season is over. Although this little number, definitely still appreciated." He said running his hand over her silky babydoll.

"Glad you liked it." She said, snuggling into his embrace.

NNNNNNNNN

"It's cold." Rory said shivering.

"It's almost 70 degrees." Tristan pointed out as they lounged around in chairs on the balcony.

"You're not including the wind chill. It's making it at least 10 degrees colder." She argued.

"Fine, whatever." He acquiesced. Rory smiled.

"You know…" She started, "You've developed a bit of an English accent." She said grinning.

"Have I?" Tristan asked laughing.

"Yep. Don't worry, accents are sexy." She said smiling.

"Does that mean I'm sexy?" He drawled, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"No." She said, not missing a beat.

"Hey!" He yelled in mock indignation. She giggled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her temple. They settled back into the chair, cuddled in each others arms.

"How's your study program thing going?" Rory asked, slightly shifting in his arms he shrugged. He chuckled at her words.

"It's alright. Exhausting, but very interesting and very educational. I've met a lot of talented people."

"Influential people?" She asked.

"Yea, I suppose. I mean, I feel like I'm influencing people more than they're influencing me, but that's what happens when you're brought up in the society circle." He said shrugging.

"Uh…huh." Rory said, confused.

"_Meaning_ that the way I was brought up has caused me to be the one to _need_ to know almost everything." He said, clarifying for her.

"Mmhmmm." Rory said, still not fully understanding. "It just sounds to me like you're cocky." Rory said giving him a pointed look.

"Nah, I wouldn't say that. I just have a lot of stories, and I tell them all the time to whoever needs to hear one. Some of them help people with loss or love or some other things." He said, shrugging it of as if it were no big deal.

"You help people with love? Is that a joke?" Rory asked, fully facing him. Tristan smiled at the look she was giving him.

"Yea, I mostly just say that if they're worth it, they'll stick around through good and bad, and it's really meant to be, you'll get thrown together on more than one occasion." He said, smiling widely.

Rory bit her lip. "That sounds a lot like a couple I know." Tristan smiled at her and nodded.

"And what do you say about loss?" She asked.

"Well, there are two kinds of loss. One is how I lost you in high school and then somewhat at the end of college, and the other loss is how I lost my grandfather. For the first one, I tell them our story. For the other one, I tell them how I dealt with grandfather passing." He said seriously.

"So pretty much all your stories involve me?" Rory asked, smiling.

"Well, yes. But you're just a very present figure in my life. But that's a good thing." Rory nodded and smiled.

"Maybe you should've been a psychologist." She said suddenly.

"Nah, that's too long term with patients. It's a lot of stress. Plus, it's a much more difficult and in depth field. I don't even want to begin to think about the brain and people's mental disabilities. Medicine is more immediate. Cancer patients or cardio patients don't carry _nearly_ the amount of baggage and problems that people do who see psychologists….At least usually." Rory smiled. "And there are more than enough psychologists. We could always use a few more medical doctors."

"Pretty adamant about that, huh?" Rory teased. He nodded.

"Well, what if someone told you, you should've gone to school to become a children's author. I mean, both involve writing. Why did you pick journalism?" He asked, suddenly, trying to make a point.

"Because I love writing on news and it's just such a broad range of things to do. Authors have to write books, and series, and when they don't print their next books soon enough, the readers lose interest. Plus, if you write children's books, knowing how to draw is a must. You've seen my stick figures. Even those are deformed." She scoffed.

"See?" He said, smugly.

"Yea, I see your point." Rory said, nodding.

NNNNNNN

"Rorrrrrrrrrry!!!" Tristan said, whining. She put her finger up as she continued to listen to the person on the other end of the phone. He grumbled and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Ahh, yes, I see. Yea, I will be out of the office for the next few days, but I can meet with you immediately when I get back to go over the details with you…No, sir, I did not take on any new pieces and yes, my current ones will be done and emailed by the next deadline…Of course….Alright, thank you so much! It's an honor….Thank you. Have a good day." She lowered her hand as she pressed the end button on her cell phone. She turned to Tristan, "Could you be anymore impatient?"

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Calls from work are not allowed on vacation. _Especially,_ when you're in another country _and_ with your favoritest person in the world whom, you haven't seen in a long, long time." He said, taking a deep breath. "In fact you shouldn't have even answered it. That just proves to me that you're more in love with your work than you are me." He said dramatically. Rory smiled and laughed.

"Tristan, darling?" Rory said sweetly.

"What?" He dramatized.

"I got a promotion." She said proudly.

"That's great, who cares, you're with _me_!!" He said immediately. A pause. "A _promotion_? Like a coupon?" Tristan asked, stopping suddenly. She laughed at his expression.

"No, that was my boss, Sven. He said that he was reviewing my articles and my reports—we were all reevaluated a month ago, and he wanted to offer me a higher position. I'd have to train of course, but I'd be an editor!" Rory said, excitedly. Tristan's mouth dropped.

"Wow! That's awesome, Rory!" He said smiling widely and gave her a tight hug.

"I know. It's kinda soon, though. I mean…I've only been working there for three years." She rambled.

"Well, you have plenty of experience. The Franklin at Chilton, the Yale Daily News…there you were the head editor. You know what you're doing. I think you're more than qualified for this job." He said proudly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Rory said appreciatively.

"Sure, babe. Anytime." He smiled, still with his arms wrapped around her.

"Okay, no more work calls…unless they call to tell me they've decided to just skip editor and name me the VP." Rory said, grinning.

"Okay, fine. _That_ call you can take, but all others…go to voice mail." He said, looking down at her pointedly. Rory grinned and nodded.

She'd already been in England for one day. She wanted the day back, to relive it. To have as much time as she could with Tristan. Unfortunately, time stops for no one. Her flight back home was in four and a half days. Still plenty of time, but at the same time, entirely too little. She was content with him. More than she'd been with anyone else. Her thoughts flickered back to the memory she relived on the plane.

When Paris had called him from the hospital, telling him that it wasn't the baby she was worried about, it was Rory, he forgot his anger and rushed over. She knew it still killed him to this day that he was such a jerk about it, but she understood why he had acted like that. Logan didn't visit her in the hospital once.

She felt tears fill her eyes as she vividly remembered the surgeries and the pain that accompanied it. Then the hollow feeling of loss for a baby she'd come to love despite the fact that it was not born yet. She was going to have a girl. Another Gilmore girl. No doubt she would've been named Lorelai, and the nicknames hadn't even been thought about.

"Rory?" Tristan asked gently, pulling her out of her reverie. She shook her head, and quickly wiped her eyes. She felt the unshed tears leak onto her fingers and hands.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, feeling embarrassed. He nodded, and looked at her with deep concern. He gave her a once over.

"You can cry. I know I did." She looked at him.

"You did?" She asked, surprised.

"Yea. I loved him very much." He explained. She must've looked at him confused. "My grandfather. I loved him." He explained further. Rory sighed and shook her head.

"I wasn't thinking about my grandfather." Her voice cracked. It was Tristan's turn to be confused. "You were right. About Logan, about me, about everything. I wanted to hate you, but I couldn't. You were right there, trying to break through my stubbornness, and I just didn't want to see it. I wanted to believe he would change. So _badly_ too. I wanted to believe that no one in this world was _that_ cruel and _that_…cold hearted." Tristan caught on and gently stopped her ranting, by placing his hand gently on her arm.

"That was a while ago, okay? How'd you think of that again?" He said, reaching up to wipe away her tears.

"When I was on the plane yesterday, I had a dream. Well, it wasn't a dream, but I relived everything. The fight, the fall, my bleeding, and then it ended with me going unconscious." She said, through her tears. He had a pained look on his face.

"That was a while ago, okay? You're fine now, Logan is not in your life, and you're healthy." He said, trying to calm her down. She shook her head. "No, you're not healthy?" He asked, tilting her chin up to look at him.

_Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. _

She took a deep breath, as she prepared herself for the words she would speak next. "Remember a few months ago…when, umm, when you said you wanted me to have your children? Or do you remember any of that conversation?" She asked, taking in a shaky breath.

"Yea, how could I forget? What about it?" He said in a calm voice, full of concern.

"I can't be that for you." She said vaguely.

"Be what?" He asked, thoroughly confused. She sighed and bit her lip as a tear rolled down her cheek. He noticed the tear and took her hands in his.

"I…I can't give you children. I mean, I don't think I can. I don't even know." She said distractedly.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"When I…fell, when I got cut, it got me really bad. I'm not sure of the details but when I woke up and I could understand everything, the doctor told me that I'd lost…that I'd lost my baby, and he also told me that there was a very high chance that I wouldn't be able to have anymore children." She wiped the falling tears. "I'm sorry." She whispered, taking her hands back and wrapping her arms around herself. Tristan took a moment to think about what just happened. The love of his life had just told him that she might not be able to have children. _Ever_. He pushed whatever he was feeling away, and hugged Rory against him tightly.

"Shhhh, it's okay." He said in a soft voice soothing her. When he felt she was no longer crying, he gently pulled back to look at her face.

"Rory, I want you to know that it doesn't matter to me whether or not you can have children, okay? I just, I just want to be with you, okay? Children are an extra, and you know what? If we really want children, then we can always try, and if nothing happens we can go see specialists or we could even adopt." He said, making sure she knew how much he wanted _her_, regardless of her ability to have children or not. Rory sniffed back her tears and nodded, not convinced. After a moment she pulled away, out of his arms.

"It haunts me, you know? Especially the fall. I remember _everything_, and all I want to do if forget." She wrapped her arms around herself, shielding herself from whatever might come her way.

"Rory…" He said, hating to see her so broken. He advanced towards her when his cell phone rang. He ignored it.

"Aren't you going to get that?" She asked. He shook his head.

"I'll let it go to voicemail." He said. She shook her head.

"No, get it." He gave her a look, but gave in, taking his cell phone out.

"Dugrey." He answered as he watched Rory start to walk away. "The reports are on Jason's desk…well, I don't know yet. Leah is not one of my patients; she's Chris's. Uh huh, okay. No problem." He flipped his phone shut. It would be typical of the hospital to call him on his one of his days off for something so minute. He ran his hands through his hair and scrunched his forehead. He saw Rory reappear, her face looking refreshed and her hairline, damp.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. "I kinda just dumped all that on you. I didn't mean to, it's just been gnawing at me since we got together. And if we actually _do_ decide to get married, you needed to know. It'd be a hell of a thing to mention later." She explained, calmly, no trace of the broken girl from a few minutes ago could be found. Tristan nodded. "And the truth is, is that we might not need to even worry. I might be fine. I've been too scared to find out for sure, and the doctors didn't want to do full tests because of what I'd just gone through."

He took a deep breath. "I wanna know why you didn't tell me earlier."

"Scared?" She said shrugging. "I didn't want to lose you, and ask any woman whether or not they'd be okay with being barren. Even if they don't want children, no woman wants to hear that." Rory said, biting her lip.

"I wish you would've just told me…back then. When I said something." He sighed.

"I know, and I'm sorry. My mom doesn't even know." Tristan frowned and took in her troubled state. He took a step forward and rubbed her arm. He moved his hand towards her face, and cupped her chin. "I'm sorry I put a damper on the mood." Rory said. Tristan gave her a small smile and shook his head.

"Damper? What damper?" He asked as he lowered his head and planted a warm kiss on her lips. Her heart melted as she gripped his arms to keep from falling. He rubbed her back and pulled away. She smiled up at him.

"Thank you." She murmured. He cocked his head.

"For what?" He asked.

"Everything." She breathed out, her eyes still closed. He smiled kindly and nodded his head. "Hey, are you hungry?"

"Starving, actually." She said, opening her eyes, as she could feel her stomach churning.

"I have a coupon for this place. I've never been there before, so I figured maybe you'd like to try it with me?" He suggested.

"Hmm, sounds good. What kind of food?" She asked, rubbing her tummy in anticipation.

"I don't even know. It has a cool name, though." He said smirking.

"I guess you've never heard the saying, 'never judge a book by its cover' then. But I'm in a different country many thousands of miles from home. Different wouldn't be a crime." She said, shrugging.

"Good. Get your coat, we'll walk." He said. Rory smiled and nodded, getting her coat. She took his outstretched hand and joined him walking out the door.

She wasn't sure how this news would affect him, but she had a feeling it was better this way.

He wasn't sure how their lives would be from now on, but he knew it didn't lessen his love for her. If anything, he loved her more for finally opening up to him. And for now, that was enough.

**A/N: Hey there, lovely readers. It's been two months, and I know I said I'd probably update by New Years…but I didn't. Sorry. So this way, this is my birthday present to all of you. :0) It's MY birthday and I'm giving YOU guys a present. Darn, I'm nice. Haha. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, a lot was revealed….FINALLY!! And have no fear…this child thing is not a major issue. Anyway, I'm between having two more chapters or just one before Tristan's back home. So we'll see. Hopefully I update a little sooner this time…_hopefully_.**

**A legal note: The quote, "Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared," is by Eddie Rickenbacker. I DID _NOT _MAKE IT UP.**

**AND NOW:**

LukeandLorelaiR4ever1492

Gilmore-Supernatural-Fan13

MarieCherry: It's my turn for an update on MY birthday. :0) Happy birthday by the way! But that's cool. I didn't even know it was your birthday!!

Alenor: The metal thing will soon be revealed. :0) Now I have to listen to metal and find a good song. Haha.

Joise

Spreeaholic1

EEL0404

Kylie1403

Mongoose 187

Sea4Shoes: Wow, I write about it, but I couldn't imagine actually living it.

LoVe23: Mr. Shields is a special character. :0) He'll be appearing again.

kyra

Amy

a: I must've read your mind!

kristen.brister

riotgirllina

fliccolo

Ninaaa: I like metal. :0) At least some.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident. Tristan goes to England for a medical program for 6 months, and has to leave Rory in the states.

Many thanks to my beta, Love23, for betaing this for me. You probably had other things you need to do, and you still are able to beta. THANK YOU!

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Nineteen:

Sun streaked through the curtains, as a gentle breeze brushed through the cracked open window. It was a mild day, perfect for taking a stroll in a park or taking a mini family vacation to a river or picnic area. Of course, sleep was nowhere near finished for Rory and Tristan, who were still lying soundly asleep in the bed. Then the phone rang.

"Phone?" Rory mumbled, "There's no phone in my dream." Rory said groaning as she felt Tristan shift beside her.

"I'll be right back." He said, slipping from under the covers and padding over to his pants. He took his ringing phone from his pants and briefly checked the caller id before flipping it open.

"Hello?" He asked drowsily.

"Tristan?" A male voice asked.

"Yea, this is Tristan." Tristan said looking down. When he did, he became aware that he was stark naked.

"I'm sorry to call you so early, but I believe you've been taking care of my grandfather, Jim Shields." The male continued.

"Oh yea. It's not a problem. What can I do for you? Is everything all right?" He said, as he tried to shake off his drowsiness.

"He wanted me to call you and tell you that he's back in the hospital, but it's just for a check up."

"_Okay_..." Tristan said slowly not understanding. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yea. Listen, he's right next to me, and he keeps saying something about a girl." The man on the phone sounded almost embarrassed.

Tristan raised an eyebrow and looked at his bed where Rory was sitting, hugging the comforter around her body. "Can I talk to him?" He asked.

"Yea, hang on a second." Tristan twisted his mouth as he heard the phone being transferred.

"Tristan." The gruff voice came.

"Hey Jim. Everything alright?" He asked, smiling.

"Yea, better than alright! Doc says I'm healthy and my veins are clear!" Jim said excitedly.

"That's great news." He remarked.

"Yea, it is." Jim said, distracted. Rory furrowed her eyebrows.

"Hey, you know I'm not in the country right now, right?" Tristan asked.

"Of course! How are you?" Jim asked, making small talk.

"I'm great. Rory's with me at the moment. She flew in yesterday." He answered, looking at Rory and shrugging his shoulders.

"Ahh, can I talk to her?" Jim asked hesitantly.

"Oh, umm, okay." Tristan took the phone off his ear. "Rory, remember how I told you about Jim Shields?" Rory nodded. "He wants to talk to you." Rory bit her lip and took the phone.

"Hello?" She answered, nervously.

"Rory?" Jim asked.

"Yea, I'm Rory." She asked, looking up at Tristan in confusion.

"It's so nice to finally hear your voice." Rory glanced at Tristan, who sat down on the bed and pulled the covers up to his waist.

"Likewise. Tristan talks a lot about you." She said, not knowing what else to say.

"Same with you. He even showed me a picture. Very beautiful." He complimented. Her cheeks reddened.

"Thank you, sir."

"No worries, dear. So tell me. Is Tristan taking good care of you?" He asked, seriously.

"Very good care. I feel like a princess." She said unable to contain her smile.

"Ahh." He paused, and Rory could hear talking in the background. "I hate to cut our conversation short, but I must be going. Can you pass a message on to Tristan for me?"

"Sure." She said, trying to make sense of this conversation.

"Tell him just to think about what we talked about when he was still here, and not to worry. And make sure he still knows where his CD's are." He said cryptically.

"Oh, umm, okay. Well it was nice talking to you, sir." She said, confused more than ever.

"You can call me Jim, and it was very nice talking to you too, Rory. I hope I have a chance to meet you in person." He said kindly.

"Same here. Bye." Rory replied.

"Bye." Rory pressed the end button on the phone and handed it back to Rory.

"That was sufficiently awkward." Tristan laughed at Rory's expression.

"Why?" Tristan asked, trying to contain his laughter.

"Two reasons. One, I'm naked talking to an old man." She said, her face, scrunching up in disgust.

"And two?" Tristan pressed.

"And two, you showed him a picture of me!" Rory said wide-eyed.

"So?" Tristan asked, blushing. Rory smiled.

"Nothing, I just…no one's ever done that before." Tristan smiled and kissed her temple.

"I try and flaunt that you're my girl every chance I have." He said smugly.

"Why am I not surprised?" Rory asked, teasing. She let out a yawn and shifted down into the covers, deeper. He followed suit.

"So that's all you talked about? Him showing you pictures of me?" He asked.

"Oh, right. Sorry. He wanted me to tell you to think about whatever you two were talking about before you left, and to make sure you don't misplace the CD's." She said looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Ahh okay." He said, not wanting to give away anything.

"So, what were you guys talking about, and what CD's are you apparently going to lose?" She asked, when she realized he wasn't going to tell her anything. Tristan smiled and lazily wrapped his arm around her naked waist.

"It wasn't anything important, and he has this thing about music. Metal in particular. It's just something that he likes to talk to me about." He said shrugging.

"Tell me!" Rory said, whining.

"Not yet." He said smiling at her.

"Pwease." Rory said, making a pouty face. "What did you guys talk about?"

Tristan bit the inside of his cheek, wondering whether to tell her or not. "You really want to know?" She nodded quickly. "You. We talked about you."

"Me? What about me?" Rory asked, confused. He sighed.

"I wasn't sure what was going to happen between us when I left. I didn't want anything to happen, and I felt bad about leaving and potentially not seeing you for half a year and making you wait for me." He said quietly.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why what?" He asked a bit confused.

"Why were you unsure?" She clarified.

"Well at the time we'd only been together for a few weeks. It was all somewhat new." Rory nodded understandingly. "I didn't know exactly where we stood."

"But you do now?" He nodded at Rory's interjection. "Good." She said smiling as she leaned up and kissed him softly.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" He asked her.

"You live here, not me!" Rory said, wide eyed.

"Arg, you're no fun. Well, it looks like it'll be a nice day. We could take a walk somewhere, go sightseeing—either the city or me, go out to eat, mock people in a nearby park…the options are endless." He watched her smirk. Something he knew she had gotten from him.

"Well, I'd like to see _your_ sights if you don't mind." She said, sexily. He grinned widely, and rolled on top of her, kissing her thoroughly.

"I do believe _that_ can be arranged." He said, smirking deliciously, then granted her wish. Showing her _everything_ he had to offer.

NNNNNN

"Why was the blonde disappointed when she visited London?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Because she found out Big Ben was only a clock." Rory finished, laughing. Tristan laughed with her and kissed her forehead.

"Any other ridiculously dumb jokes?" He asked good-naturedly.

"Blonde or London jokes?" She asked, smiling up at him.

"Either." He said, shrugging. Loving that she was being so open and free. Rory bit her lip in thought. Her face suddenly lit up.

"If you're American outside the bathroom, what are you inside?" She asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Umm…I don't know." He asked, completely confused.

"European!" She said, once again laughing. He gave her a questioning glance. When she noticed, she stopped walking and gasped. "You don't get the joke."

"No, European? How does that make sense?" He asked, looking at her like she had three heads.

"Oh dear god! European. Your-a-pee-in. Get it?" She waited for his face to widen in a smile before smacking her forehead. "Wow, you're a doctor…you have to be smarter than that!"

"Well, I wasn't expecting a play on words. Jeez, warn me next time." He said mock glaring at her. She chuckled and leaned her head against his arm. "Any others?"

"Mm…nope. I don't think so."

"Thank god." He said, breathing relief.

"Hey! Those were some quality jokes." She said proudly. He shook his head.

"Mary, you clearly bumped your head on the headboard one too many times this morning." He teased.

"Yea, and whose fault is that?" Rory sent back.

"Well, I clearly remember the words, 'Harder, faster, please Tristan, harder'. Does my memory fail me?" He asked, using a high voice to imitate Rory. Her dark blush gave him his answer. "Yea, that's what I thought."

"You're a jerk." She pouted. He smiled and laced his fingers through hers.

"Why is it that every time we're not having sex I'm a jerk, but the minute we do, you start calling me things like god?" He asked, teasing her.

"See? A pompous jerk. I don't know how I've put up with you for so long." She said turning away from him. He pulled on her hand to get her to face him and caught her bottom lip between his teeth. He pulled her closer and gently prodded her mouth open with his tongue. Leaning her head back, he pushed himself closer to her, warranting a soft moan from her mouth. Slowly, he broke away. She looked up at him with red lips. "Oh, I guess that's why." She said breathily. He laughed and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer as they started to walk again.

"I wish I didn't have to go back." She said sadly.

"No! Don't get sentimental now! We still have three more days for that!" Tristan scolded.

"I know, I was just saying. It's so beautiful and peaceful here." She said. Tristan laughed. "What?"

"Nothing, but if you were within a block's radius of the hospital, you wouldn't be saying that." Tristan said knowingly.

"Why is it busy?"

"Oh yea. Busier than Disney World over Christmas break." He explained. Rory's eyes went wide.

"Wow, so you're getting a lot of training then?"

"I don't think I've done as much stuff as I'm doing now in all four years of medical school." He said sounding tired.

"Jeez. So how did you manage to get time to see little old me?" She asked.

"We get two weeks of vacation." He said simply.

"So what will happen with your other week and a few days?"

"Well, I actually only have six days left. I've used the others as sick days and rest days." He shrugged.

"Rest days? Wuss!" She teased him. Tristan laughed.

"So when you work for 39 hours straight I can call you a wuss?" He said.

"Hey, they can't do that! That's illegal!" Rory declared. Tristan shook his head, laughing.

"When you want to graduate this program and be at the top, _nothing_ is illegal. And if it is, you suck it up."

"I'm so glad I'm a journalist." Rory sighed, good-naturedly.

"So as a part of you being here, do you have to write an article?"

"A self piece, describing the contrasting atmosphere here and back home." She nodded.

"Like weather atmosphere?" He asked, not quite sure what she was supposed to write about.

"Whatever I want."

"What will you write about?"

"Not sure yet. I'll probably write it during the flight home or something." She shrugged.

"Well you could write about the contrasting atmosphere of your bedroom life. At home you lie down and sleep, while here, you get _laid_ and don't sleep!" He said quite seriously. Rory rolled her eyes.

"Because that'll go over _so_ well with my boss. Especially now that I've been offered a position as editor." She scoffed. He grinned.

"Maybe…I mean, you never know." He said, laughing as Rory gave him a little shove.

"Honestly, the man can't even handle it when someone excuses themselves for the bathroom." She ranted. Tristan snickered. "What you think that is funny? You don't have to deal with him!"

"True." He took her hand in his as they continued down the walkway. They stopped every so often to look at a window display, but soon moved on again taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

FLASHBACK 

"_Clear the way! Twenty-two year old, female, Caucasian, pregnant. From the observations in the ambulance, she's lost a great deal of blood, and there is a large shard of glass in her abdomen." An EMT said as they rolled her down on a stretcher._

"_Cause of injury?"_

"_The friend said she fell down the stairs." The doctor nodded._

"_Blood pressure?"_

"_100 over 60 and slowly decreasing." The doctor nodded, as they transferred her to a gurney. The nurses promptly replaced her oxygen mask and started an I.V. in her arm. _

"_Do we know the name?" The doctor asked as a nurse cut off her shirt to reveal the damage._

"_Rory Gilmore, doctor. The EMTs said she seemed about 3 months pregnant." The doctor nodded as he swiftly started to work. _

"_She's fading." The doctor said, catching the attention of a nurse who was standing by, waiting for instruction. The nurse launched forward, ready to do as she was told. "Make sure she stays with us." The doctor ordered. The nurse nodded._

"_Rory, can you hear me? Hang in there, okay? Your mom has been called, she knows what has happened, and she is on her way. You're going to be okay, Rory. You hear me?" There was no sign of comprehension from Rory. The nurse squeezed her hand. "You'll be okay, just take deep breaths, we're going to do everything we can for you and your baby."_

_-Fall. Falling. I fell, I'm falling. Liquid. I'm swimming. It's sticky, and I'm not sure why. Noises everywhere, frantically saying things—things I don't understand. Everything at once. I feel tired, so sleepy. What happened? My stomach hurts. Rory, you fell down the stairs. Duh. Can't you see yourself lying there on the bed? Can't you hear the doctors? Maybe, I'm not sure. It hurts and I'm sleepy. So sleepy. I need to close my eyes…for a moment. Blackness. It feels nice, so friendly and…welcoming. But I'm still sticky.-_

"_I'm going to need a bag of 'O' Negative. Come on, quickly! Someone get an O.R. ready." The doctor yelled to the surrounding people as he watched Rory's heartbeat slow down significantly._

"_Hang in there sweetie, please. You're going to be okay. Your mom is on her way." The nurse kept saying, in a soothing melodic voice. Someone signaled an OK and they immediately pushed Rory towards the operating room, needing to get the glass out and stitch up her wound before she lost more blood._

"_You're Paris, right?" Paris sprang to her feet._

"_Yea, that's me. Tell me something, tell me anything." Paris said in frustration._

"_She's in a great deal of danger. We want to operate." The doctor answered._

"_So do it!" She yelled._

"_We need permission from another adult." The doctor told her._

"_I'll give permission." She said quickly. He handed her a paper. She scanned over the document and signed it._

"_Thank you." The doctor said and started to quickly walk back._

"_Wait! What am I supposed to do?" Paris asked, in angst. The doctor gave her a look._

"_You can talk to a nurse and give her all the information you know while we wait for her mother." The doctor explained._

"_That's it? You can't tell me she's okay? What about her baby? How is the baby doing?" Paris yelled, completely unable to hold in her emotions. The doctor scoffed._

"_Lady, I don't know anything about the baby. We're just trying to keep your friend from dying okay?! First her, then the baby. But from what I'm hearing, odds are down. I'll be back out when she's out of surgery." The doctor yelled._

"_She might not make it? Rory I mean." Paris asked, face drained of colour. The doctor nodded._

"_She's lost a great deal of blood, and the cut is very deep." The doctor said, calming down. Paris nodded mutely._

"_Do whatever, okay? If she doesn't…if something happened to her…she _has_ to be okay! MAKE HER OKAY!" Paris said, sighing as a tear rolled down her cheek. The doctor nodded and gave a sympathetic look before leaving and heading back to look after more patients. She slowly trudged to a waiting area with cushioned seats and plopped down. She took out her cell phone and dialed Tristan's number, praying he'd pick up. Four rings and a deflated hope later, he answered._

"_Hello?" Tristan answered._

"_Oh my god, you picked up!" Paris yelled into the phone. _

"_Paris? Is that you? Are you okay?" He asked confused._

"_Yea, no…I'm not. You need to be here." She said._

"_What happened?" he asked, his voice full of concern._

"_Rory, she fell down the stairs." _

"_I was just there, what's wrong?" She frowned when she heard the concern decrease._

"_She's in surgery. It's bad." She said, frantically._

"_I'm sure her baby will be fine." He said nonchalantly._

"_Tristan, I don't care about her baby! Rory is currently on the brink of life or death! Her baby isn't even a part of the equation right now. Now I suggest you get your stubborn head out of your ass and get down here." She heard a long silence on the other end. "Hello?"_

"_She…she's going to make it, right?" His voice had become weak and vulnerable._

"_They don't know. They said it's not looking good." She sighed in defeat._

"_I'm on my way." He said, no hesitation now. She sighed and hung up the phone and buried her head in her hands. She didn't remember the last time she had actually cried. About fifteen minutes later, she heard a soft, drained voice._

"_Paris?" She looked up and saw Lorelai standing there, tears streaming down her face. Paris immediately stood up and hugged Lorelai._

"_Do you know anything yet?" Lorelai asked, weakly._

"_No, the doctor came out a little while ago. They wanted to do surgery. I signed something to give the authorization. Is that okay? I didn't ask, but I figured you'd want…" Lorelai stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder._

"_I'm glad you did." Paris nodded and sat down. Lorelai followed suit. "So what's the update?"_

"_It's not looking good." Paris squeaked out. Lorelai nodded, allowing the tears to fall. _

_-Groggy. Headache. Pain. Everywhere. The blackness has faded and I'm seeing a peach colour. I don't recognize my surroundings. Beeping. Machines mechanically pumping and monitoring things I don't like it. What? Sleep.-_

"_Rory!" Rory slowly turns her head. A man in scrubs is there._

"_You're going into surgery now, okay? You've lost a lot of blood, but we're doing our best. Just rest now." She nods her head minimally._

_-Sleep. Sleep is good. But the blackness won't come back. I lie here, getting sleepy. More sleepy. Mist covers me and embraces me. I like it better than the blackness.-_

"_Dear god, is that the glass you took out?" A surgeon asked, cleaning up. The head surgeon nodded. "She's lucky she's alive."_

"_I suppose." He said. The woman looked at him._

"_What do you mean? She's alive." She asked._

"_She lost her baby. The glass cut into her uterus and cut the placenta. She went into preterm labor." She gasped._

"_Oh god. How old is she?"_

"_Twenty-two."_

"_Wow, is everything else okay?"_

"_Well you and I both know that an injury like that could very well cause complications in getting pregnant again." The woman nodded, sadly._

"_She's been moved to Recovery?" He nodded. "Good. Are you going to talk to the mother?" She asked._

"_Just as soon as I wash up." The woman nodded and left._

_Paris thanked the gods when she saw Tristan running into the ER lobby. He saw her and jogged the rest of the way. He glanced at the disheveled appearance of Lorelai._

"_What's the news?" He asked, breathless._

"_We haven't heard anything. She went into surgery about an hour ago." Paris supplied. Tristan nodded in defeat. He took a seat next to Paris and slouched in the chair, deep in thought. He sat there staring at his hands for the next 2 hours, while Paris had gotten coffee for all of them, and Lorelai sat there, staring off into space. Paris was the first one to notice the doctor making a beeline towards them._

"_Doctor!" She called out and stood up. Lorelai and Tristan stood as well._

"_Hello Paris. You must be Lorelai." Lorelai nodded._

"_Is my daughter okay?" She pleaded. He nodded to relieve them of their worries. The choir of sighs and breaths of relief were deafening. Rory was very much loved. Lorelai asked her next question tentatively. "And her baby?" The doctor shook his head, no. And just like that, all relief was temporarily gone._

"_I'm sorry. She woke up before surgery, but we put her under anesthetics so she wouldn't feel anything. She hasn't woken up yet from it, but we're guessing it will take awhile. Accidents like these take a lot of energy from the body. She was working over time, trying to fix her body and protect the baby. Unfortunately, the glass she was cut with penetrated the womb and she went into preterm labor. We were not able to save the baby." The doctor explained sadly. They all nodded slowly._

"_Thank you doctor, for keeping my baby alive." Lorelai said, crying._

"_We did everything we could."_

"_Can we see her?" Tristan asked, as his voice cracked._

"_Not right now. We need her to sleep, but maybe in a few hours. She is in stable condition but very weak right now."_

"_We understand." Paris added. Lorelai tried to resist but she couldn't. She completely threw the doctor off guard as she quickly hugged him tightly, thanking him profusely for keeping Rory alive. He nodded and bid them a good day before leaving. For the first time in over four hours, they allowed smiles, while internally mourning the loss of another Gilmore girl._

"_It's my fault." Tristan said, softly._

"_What? No way!" Lorelai protested._

"_I shouldn't have walked away. I shouldn't have just…turned my back and left." He said dejectedly._

"_Tristan, she needed to know how you felt about Logan. She will unfortunately learn this at a great price." Lorelai continued, getting Tristan to understand. Tristan nodded._

"_I just never knew…he used her. I just—couldn't let that happen." He said forcefully. Lorelai placed a hand on his arm._

"_You're a great friend. She's lucky to have someone like you." She said honestly. Tristan nodded and allowed a small smile. They patiently waited there for the next few hours, wishing the time to move more quickly._

_-Sleepy, but not quite achy. I don't know. The mist has moved on, leaving me cold and alone. My eyes flutter open slowly, adjusting to the darkness. The clock on the wall tells me it's past 8pm. I wonder if my baby is okay. Turning my head, I see an attendant writing on a chart.-_

"_Ex..excu…" Rory started softly, her voice cracking. The attendant turned to her, wide eyed._

"_You're awake!" The attendant cried out. Rory nodded plainly._

"_Can I…" Rory coughed and cleared her throat trying again. "Is there any water?" The attendant waited for her to finish and nodded quickly._

"_Of course. Let me get you a glass. I'll also let the doctor know you're awake." She left swiftly. A few minutes later, she returned with a pitcher and a glass of water with a straw in it. "The doctor said he'd be in, in a few minutes." She brought the straw to Rory's lips. She sucked some water and leaned back, glad that her throat had some moisture now._

"_Am I okay?" Rory asked, softly._

"_Oh, I'm not sure honey. You seem fine, I'm just here to right down your blood-oxygen level and heartbeat." The nurse explained._

"_Do you know anything?" Rory asked softly._

"_I know you're lucky to be alive. They don't tell me much. I do what I'm supposed to. Poking my head into people's personal lives isn't one of them. The doctor will be in soon, he'll be able to answer everything." Rory nodded._

"_What about my baby?" Rory pressed._

"_Honey, I don't know anything. Doctor Wells was finishing a patient chart when I told him. He said he'd been in soon." The nurse explained calmly, not wanting Rory to get worked up._

"_Did I have to have surgery?" Rory asked, needing some kind of answer._

"_Yes, honey you did. You're in the recovery unit right now."_

"_Do you know anything else?" The nurse sighed and looked at the desperate girl. She shook her head and shrugged sympathetically._

"_Not really. Just that you were in surgery and there are people in the waiting room for you."_

"_Who?" Rory asked suddenly._

"_I'm not sure, but the older woman looks like you. Your mom maybe?"_

"_Probably." Rory mumbled._

"_Rory!" The two looked towards the door to see the doctor come in. He was wearing a mixture of smiles that Rory couldn't comprehend._

"_How are the readouts, Cynthia?" The doctor asked._

"_Good, should I put them in her chart?" Cynthia answered, relieved that the doctor was now here to give the poor girl some answers._

"_Please. It's on the desk outside." He offered. Cynthia nodded and gave Rory a smile before leaving._

"_It's good to see you awake, Rory." The doctor said as Cynthia left. Rory nodded._

"_What happened to me?" She asked._

"_You don't remember?" He looked worried._

"_I do, I fell…I just wanted to know what happened to _me_. Medical wise." She said a bit hesitantly. The doctor nodded, looking relieved._

"Would you like your visitors to be here for the news?" The doctor asked carefully. 

"_Is it good or bad?" She asked, trying to read his expression._

"_Both." He said simply._

"_How bad?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to know._

"_Very quizzical, but I don't know. It affects everyone differently." The doctor explained. Rory nodded._

"_They can come in." The doctor nodded._

"_Alright, give me a second." A few minutes later the doctor came back with a woman in tow. It was Lorelai._

"_Rory!" Lorelai said and ran over to Rory, hugging her tightly._

"_You had us so scared! I don't know what I'd do without you." Rory hugged her back, equally hard. After a minute they separated._

"_Shall I start?" Doctor Wells asked, pulling chairs up for both him and Lorelai. Lorelai hesitantly sat down, never letting go of Rory's hand._

"_Mrs. Gilmore…" The doctor started._

"_Lorelai, please." She interrupted. He nodded._

"_Lorelai, I haven't began to tell Rory anything yet, she wanted to wait for you. I'm just going to start from the top." Both Rory and Lorelai nodded. "Rory, when falling down the stairs you somehow got a piece of glass—I'm told it was from a bowl, but you had a piece of glass in your abdomen. By the time you got here, you had lost a lot of blood. We got the glass out and stitched you up—that's why it may be a little sore. The good news is that you're fine. You shouldn't have too many complications later in life." Rory nodded in relief, although something was nagging at her._

"_And the bad news." Rory felt Lorelai squeeze her hand. Rory looked over at her mom and with one glance into her eyes, she knew. "She's gone, isn't she?" Lorelai nodded, rubbing Rory's hand encouraging._

"_I'm sorry, Rory. We did the best we could, but the glass pierced the placenta and you went into preterm labor. At three months, there wasn't much we could do." Rory nodded as tears started to flow. The doctor looked at her sympathetically. "I hate to interrupt, but do you have any other questions?" Rory shook her head. "Alright, if you do, feel free to page me. The button on the wall next to you will page either me or my fill in." He gave them one more glance and exited the room._

"_Oh baby, I'm so sorry!" Rory nodded and wiped away the tears. She was even angrier when the nagging feeling didn't fade. "Is there anything I can do?"_

"_It's not fair." Rory cried, feeling more and more drained as the tears continually fell._

"_I know, sweetie." Lorelai hugged her again, rubbing her back. About thirty minutes later, they separated._

"_You should probably get some sleep, okay?" Lorelai suggested._

"_Okay." Rory answered in a small voice._

"_I love you, sweetie." Lorelai said and stood up, tucking Rory in. She kissed her forehead and left, giving one last sad look. As she entered the lobby, Paris and Tristan looked at her expectantly._

"_She knows. She's been crying ever since. She's sleeping now." They both nodded. "The doctor said we should go home and come back tomorrow."_

"_Are you going to?" Paris asked._

"_I don't want too, but I am." Lorelai sighed. Paris nodded._

"_So we'll come back tomorrow?" Tristan asked._

"_Yea. I'll see you guys tomorrow then. And thank you, both of you. Night." Lorelai said and unwillingly left._

"_How did you get here?" Tristan asked Paris._

"_Ambulance." Paris answered._

"_Come on, I'll give you a ride back." Paris nodded and followed him out._

"_Good morning, I'm Doctor Isaac, but you can call me Elise. You don't know me, but I was in the operating room yesterday. I'll be filling in for Doctor Wells this morning." Rory smiled softly at the female doctor._

"_Hi." Rory said._

"_So how are you feeling today?"_

"_Better, less tired, more depressed." Rory said monotone. The doctor nodded and sat down._

"_You seem like a very intelligent woman, so I'm just going to say this: What you're feeling is completely normal. It is a very sad thing when you lose a child, no matter if they're still developing or already born. I've been through it myself, in fact. It took me awhile just to be able to not think about it all the time. It's hard, Rory… it really is, but I know you can do it. You have wonderful friends and a wonderful family. I met many of them this morning. They will help you through this and the father seems very eager to talk to you." Dr. Isaac explained._

"_Logan?" Rory asked, very surprised. 'He came?' She thought to herself._

"_Hmm, I'm not sure. Tall, blonde, good physique?" Dr. Isaac described. Rory shrugged, it sounded like him._

"_Can I see them?" Rory asked._

"_Of course, but first, let me check your stitches." Rory nodded as the doctor pulled down the sheet and pulled up the hospital gown. When Rory saw it, she gasped and had to close her eyes. There were bandages over her stomach, with blood. When Elise took them off, Rory saw the whole inside was soaked with dry blood. "I know you don't want to look again, but all of the blood is dry, which is very good. That means that most of the bleeding has stopped. That doesn't mean it won't bleed again though. A little bit is fine and expected." Rory nodded. She watched now as Elise put another gauze pad down. "I'll go get your visitors now." Rory once again was left to lie there while she waited. _

_First Paris came in. They talked for a short amount of time before Paris got up and Lorelai and Luke came in. They mostly asked her fundamental questions and told her things, hoping to keep her mind off the baby as much as possible. Just as they were about to leave, Rory called them._

"_Yea?" Lorelai asked, turning._

"_Is there anyone else here?" She asked hopefully._

"_Yea, you want me to go get him?" Rory nodded. They left. So it was a he. Logan was here…at the hospital. Maybe he really had changed._

"_Hey." She looked up and was surprised to see Tristan._

"_Tristan? What are you doing here? I thought they were sending in Logan." She asked confused._

"_Logan? Logan isn't here." Tristan said, slowly. He took a seat next to Rory's bed._

"_But they said there was a guy out there for me and he had blonde hair, and was tall and—oh." Rory stopped looking at Tristan. Tristan couldn't help a smile from forming._

"_How are you feeling?" He asked softly._

"_Fine, a little sore." She answered, still not looking at him._

"_Well you did get 30 stitches or some obscene number like that." He said, trying to make light of the situation. Rory nodded._

"_What are you doing here?" Rory asked._

"_Umm well, you were just in a pretty major accident…" Tristan said, confused._

"_No, I mean, why are you _here_? We just had a major fight." She said finally looking up at him._

"_I know, but I care a lot about you, okay? You're one of my best friends…just because of a stupid argument doesn't mean I wouldn't come when you needed me." He said a bit frustrated. Rory nodded, smiling._

"_Thank you for coming. It was very sweet of you."_

"_Of course. So how're you holding up?"_

"_Not so good." She said sadly._

"_Yea, that's expected."_

"_Have you talked to Logan?" She asked. Tristan gave her a look. "Okay, bad question. Do you know if he's coming?"_

"_Rory, I highly doubt he'll come. Your mom called him yesterday when she got here, we haven't heard from or seen him since." He said evenly._

"_Well, he'll be here." Rory said determinedly. _

"_Rory, he's not…he just…" Tristan began to argue before Rory cut him off._

"_No, Tristan! Stop it! He'll come, okay?!?" She yelled…as much as she could without aggravating her wound._

"_Okay fine, it won't do any good for me to argue with you. Just…don't get your hopes up okay? It's easier to not be disappointed." He said quietly._

"_You think you're so smart, don't you? You think you have Logan _all_ figured out…well you know what? Go to hell! I'm tired of this. You of all people should und—OWW." A sharp pain in her abdomen cut off Rory. Tristan went wide-eyed and immediately looked at her._

"_Are you okay?" He asked in concern._

"_Fine, just go." Rory gritted out, in pain._

"_No, what's wrong?"_

"_Nothing, I'm fine, just go." Without permission or warning, Tristan pulled down her covers to see the gauze slowly filing up with blood._

"_Oh god, Rory you're bleeding again." Rory groaned and whimpered leaning her head back. He immediately pushed the 'help' button on the wall. Within a minute, Elise came in._

"_What's wrong?" She asked._

"_I think she pulled a stitch or something." Tristan said, pointing. He had already removed the gauze and was applying pressure with the non-bloodied side. She nodded and took over. After a few minutes she pulled it away and looked at her cut._

"_Yea, you pulled out a stitch. I can fix it here, I just need to get some supplies." She faced Tristan. "Apply pressure." She directed and quickly left._

"_Shh, Rory, it's okay." He said, trying to apply as much pressure as he could without hurting her. He pulled the gauze away and saw the broken thread. He pulled the two severed ends together, getting a loud wince from Rory, but luckily cutting off most of the blood flow. He watched his fingers get coated in her blood and applied the gauze over his fingers. Elise came back in carrying a few things. She looked at Tristan. He removed the gauze and she let her surprise show at what Tristan had done._

"_How did you know to do that?" She asked, opening the sterile needle._

"_I'm a premed student, actually." He said shrugging._

"_So you must be loving this, then." She said giving him a pointed look._

"_In the least selfish way possible, yes." He answered honestly. Elise smiled and took over for Tristan. About twenty minutes later, she was finished._

"_Now make sure you don't make any sudden jerky movements, okay? At least for a week or so. You have a lot of stitches so it'll take awhile. Be patient." Rory nodded and Elise left._

"_I think I should leave. Every time we get into a fight you end up injured or bleeding." He said lightly. Rory smiled._

"_I haven't forgiven you, but thank you." Rory said, letting her gratefulness show through._

"_Anytime, Rory. Feel better." He said giving her a small smile. _

"_Thank you." Tristan nodded and exited._

_Rory had been sleeping for the last few hours. Her mom and friends had left, promising to return the next morning, if not later that night. She pulled the remote off the table next to her and flicked through the various television stations. Stopping on a rerun of '_Friends_' she sighed and leaned back so she was comfortable._

"_Oh, Rory you're awake." She turned her head to see Doctor Wells._

"_Hi, I thought you wouldn't be in today." She said giving him a small smile._

"_Just this morning. I've been here for a few hours. I heard about the stitching coming undone. Everything is okay now? Everything feels tight?" He asked concerned._

"_Yea, just still sore." He nodded._

"_Hey Rory, I wanted to talk to you about something, okay?" He asked a bit hesitantly. Rory gave an unsure nod and turned off the TV. The doctor let the door shut behind him and made his way to the chair next to the bed._

"_I wanted to make sure you didn't need counseling or anything. I hesitated to bring it up with your family here." He explained._

"_Counseling?" She asked confused._

"_Yes, sometimes women find that even though their child is unborn, that they develop a connection and bond. It's part of my job to find you counseling if you need it." Rory nodded._

"_I think I'm okay. If I find I'm not, I'll be sure to let you know." She answered. There was that nagging again. She had mentally replayed the words he'd said to her the day before but came up with nothing._

"_Well given that there are no complications you will be free to go most likely the day after tomorrow at the earliest." He said, standing up. "I'll leave you to your TV." Rory nodded and a word struck her. _Complications_. That was it._

"_Wait." She called out._

"_Yea?" He said, slowly._

"_Yesterday when you were telling my mom and me about the accident and what happened, you said I shouldn't have too many complications later in life, are you suspecting I'll have any?" The doctor looked at the floor. "Please tell me." Rory said, in a whisper. He nodded and came back, sitting on the chair again._

"_Rory, as I said the glass got you good. When…when accidents like these happen, we find that later on in life women have a heard time keeping a child." He explained._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_It means that you may be barren." _Barren_? Oh god._

"_B-b-barren? Are you sure?"_

"_No, I would have no way of knowing unless I did tests, but as of right now, that isn't an option. Your body is far too weak to do anymore tests." _

"_So that's it? You leave me with that? I may or may not be able to have children later on?" She said beginning to show frustration._

"_You're twenty-two, this shouldn't be a large concern, okay? When the time comes, I recommend you get a test done, or you can always try. After all, I'm going by the norm. You, however, seem to defy the norm, so who knows?" He quickly offered, trying to appease her._

"_Well I needed to know." She pouted._

"_That you did."_

"_Thanks." Rory said sadly. He nodded sympathetically and left. "Next I'll find out this was all a joke. Every single thing was a joke. You can come out now. Hahaha, I'm laughing. It's hilarious." When nothing happened, she allowed herself to breakdown. _

_It was going to be a long night._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Rory? Are you okay?" She groaned and opened her eyes. She saw Tristan hovering over her, concern in his eyes. She nodded and stifled a whimper.

"Yea…I just had a nightmare." She said. He nodded.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"When I fell, Logan never came to the hospital. He called me about a week later to see how I was doing." She explained. He nodded. She was letting everything out, albeit slowly, but still, it was coming out. "I'm sorry, I woke you."

"Nah, it's okay. If you need to talk, we'll talk. Sometimes that's more important than sleep." She nodded and snuggled into his protective hold. She leaned up and kissed his neck.

"We'll talk in the morning, okay? Right now I just want to sleep." She said drowsily.

"You sure about that?" He asked in concern.

"I have to face my demons. It may be four years later, but still, they're there." He nodded.

"Well if one gets a hold of you, I'm right here." He offered. She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome." He smiled.

"Night." She mumbled.

"Night, Mary." He said and kissed her hair before allowing himself to go to sleep. His hand though continued to subconsciously rub her back. Soon after, Rory feel asleep as well.

It was okay now. Everything would be okay now.

**A/N: Wow, that was a kind of long update—and a long time since I updated. Sorry:0/ Anyway I don't have much to say now. I'm hoping the next chapters will go a little quicker now, since I'm thinking of going back to life at home for Rory. But we'll see where my fingers and brain take me. :0) Thanks everyone!! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

**IMPORTANT: Do you know any good metal songs that would work for this story? I have a few good ones, but clearly I can't know **_**every**_** good song ever made. :0) Suggestions would be beautiful!! Song title and Band (if you know it) would be great:0)**

**Annnnnnnnd next….:**

kris

MarieCherry

eshlay

LukeandLorelaiR4ever1492: Haha yea I was happy about Chris and Lorelai splitting-although the whole Logan/Rory thing really made me made. I may be a TRORY fan, but what Rory did…just wasn't right. And thanks!

slightly423psychotic: try eating less sugar next time. ;0)

Sea4Shoes

HopelessRomantic44

Joise

sillysally

mrmp: different is good! No one wants to read the same stories with different details. :0)

princetongirl

rnl1993

gilmore-gurl-13: Yes, Tristan will be making a permanent visit home. Not sure if it's going to be the next chapter or the one after that. But soon!

Krissy: you can thank my beta for the hot love scene. :0)

riotgirllina

Curley-Q

Amy

nemo123489

Kylie1403

Mongoose 187

tristan+rorylove : thank you:0)

Spreeaholic1: Wow. Thank you! And thank you for the birthday wishes!

FairyGirl03: Flashbacks are very good, this one was like ALL flashback. Haha. And guess what…I UPDATED!!!!! Weird, huh:0)

LoVe23: Yes, they did need a pick me up-I just can't write love scenes. Haha. But you can. So at least one of us can.


	20. Chapter Twenty

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident. Tristan goes to England for a medical program for 6 months, and has to leave Rory in the states.

Thanks Love23 for giving me confidence in my smut-writing abilities! You're awesome:0)

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Twenty:

2 months, 21 days, 14 hours, 45 minutes, and about 15 seconds. Well, she wasn't quite sure about the seconds. Every clock was different. But either way, it had been that long since she stepped off the plane and back onto U.S. soil. So here she was again on a cloudy Monday morning, pressing the send button to Sven, her anomalous boss, ensuring he would get her newest article. _Sugary Delight: Why Kids Prefer Ice Cream to Water Ice. _AKA which one tasted better to her, and why. True, it was a brainless article, but she wasn't in a progressive mood. It was much better than Tristan's idea to do it on her favorite position and which one granted her maximum climax. That might look a tiny bit dire for her upcoming raise.

"And the absentee worker once again resurfaces." Came a mocking voice.

"Go away, Mark." She cast a glance at her door to see Mark, standing there, arms crossed looking like he'd just found a new record store.

"Dare I say you are in a pissy mood this morning, Gilmore." He said in an amused voice, as he made his way into the room, running his hand across the top of one of her chairs.

"Don't you _dare_ sit down." She yelled, halting his movements. He held up his hands in surrender.

"Now, now. You haven't seen me in a whole _day_! You couldn't possibly have that much pent up hatred towards me." He pouted. Rory rolled her eyes and waited for the '_Your Message Has Been Sent_" window to appear. When it did, she quickly X'd out of it and looked up.

"You have three minutes to annoy me." Mark grinned, satisfied.

"Just talk to Winnie, _please_! She's killing me." He asked, seriously.

"Mark, she's pregnant, what do you expect? Of course she's going to throw a pencil at you when you hesitate to tell her whether or not her article is good." He groaned.

"I wasn't hesitating I just wasn't finished reading it! Not all of us can just whiz through an article at warp speed." He said, defensively. Rory laughed. This was the third time he'd come into her office to complain about Winnie and her hyped up hormones.

"You just have to…be patient." He lifted his eyebrows. Rory bit her lip. "I don't have any good advice for you." She said finally. He sighed.

"How many more months of this?" He sighed, running a hand down his face in frustration.

"About four, plus or minus some days." She said, wincing in anticipation of his reaction.

"And if we kick or punch her in the stomach, it'll make it go faster?" He said seriously.

"If you mean by the killing the baby, well then yes, the hormone rampage would be over within a few hours." She said dryly.

"Oh." He looked down.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you're very quiet, I'll let you work in here." His eyes lit up. Since he had a cubicle he took every chance he could to come into Rory's office. It allowed a little more privacy to work, and he didn't care about Rory loitering around.

"Can I? I'll bring my laptop in. I'll even help you edit some stuff." He said, practically begging. Rory nodded, unable to say no.

"You don't have to edit stuff, just…don't distract me every 7 minutes." She said hesitantly. He nodded.

"Alright, sounds like a deal. Be back." He said and quickly left. She shook her head. . She shook her head. She didn't always understand that man. Sometimes she didn't even want to. She heard a knock on the doorframe and looked up to see Sven, waiting at the door. Sven knocked? That was odd.

"Hi." Rory greeted with mild apprehension.

"Gilmore, may I have a word with you?" She nodded and cringed when he shut the door behind himself. One-on-one conversations with Sven? Never a happy thought.

"What did you want to speak to me about?" She asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"Ms. Brenner." Sven replied without missing a beat.

"Winnie. What about her?" She gave him a confused look.

"She's expecting a child, no?" He asked. She only nodded in response. "Do you like your job?" He continued.

"Which one? Editor or Journalist?" She asked, not knowing where he was going with his line of questioning.

"The whole thing." He simply stated.

"I like them both…a lot." She answered honestly.

"You're planning on staying then?" He asked still being cryptic.

"Yes I was planning too, I mean unless you're planning on firing me." She answered jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't be silly. It would be crippling to the paper to get rid of you." He said, dismissing her comment. A compliment. Wow, that was bizarre.

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't think I understand what you're getting at." She said, finally asking him straight out.

"Winnie will be here let's say…four more months until she will take her temporary leave. I want you to help me find a replacement for her." He explained.

"You're asking me to replace my best friend?" She asked, incredulously.

"No. It would crippling to get rid of her too. We can't leave her space empty, there's far too much work to be done." He again explained.

"Oh, I see." Rory said and thought about it for a minute. Who could she possibly recommend? Suddenly, a smile crossed her face. "Well I'd be happy to help. Thank you." He nodded.

"We'll be in contact." He stated as he stood, ending the conversation. She nodded. "Sorry to have bothered you." He added as he made his way to the door. She shrugged off his apology.

"Sven?" She asked, just before he opened the door.

"Yea?" He responded, turning to face her.

"What about Mark Utelle?"

"The guy with the camera stamped on his arm?" He asked, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, that would be him." She nodded, smiling.

"He has potential. You have faith in him?" He asked, giving her a pointed look.

"Completely. He has a lot of energy and he's never let me down." She answered honestly.

"I'll look into it. Thanks Gilmore. Back to work now." He said and left leaving Rory bewildered. That had to be the strangest and most docile conversation she'd ever had with him. Mark walked in with his eyebrows raised.

"What was that?" He asked, commenting on Sven leaving her office.

"That was me getting you promoted." She answered smugly.

"Seriously?" He asked wide-eyed.

"Well, it's a definite possibility." She shrugged. He smiled.

"Thanks!" He said happily.

"You're welcome. Now work!" He nodded and sat down, laptop open.

It'd been a long day and all Rory had wanted to do was sleep. She plopped down on her sofa and propped her feet up, getting comfortable. These last few months had been torturous. Since Tristan's course load had picked up and finals were starting for him, he wasn't able to call much and visiting each other was out of the question. She took her cell phone out of her purse and dialed him. He picked up on the 3rd ring.

"Dugrey!" He answered, tiredly.

"Hi." She said shyly, smiling into the phone. He immediately smiled, upon hearing her voice. The beautiful voice of his angel.

"Hey." He said, matching her tone.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" She looked at her clock. It said 7:30, which meant that it was around 12:30am his time.

"Nah, I've been up. I've got this demonstration for tomorrow so I've been working on that." He said, sounding tired again.

"How have your classes been? Difficult?" She asked sympathetically.

"Well about 150 doctors were enrolled in this program…there are 79 left." He said with a sigh.

"Wow, that's near half." She answered in awe.

"All I wanna do is sleep." He confessed. She could hear the strain in his voice.

"Well, I just wanted to say hi. I don't want to disturb you or anything." She said, preparing to hang up.

"No!" He yelled suddenly. "Stay. I need a break. My eyes are bloodshot from studying." He begged. She cringed and touched her own eyes.

"When are you coming home?" She asked, letting him know in her tone how much she missed him.

"Well finals are this week and the beginning of next week. If all goes according to plan, you'll see me in about three and a half weeks. They've got this whole week of easing us back into the U.S. thing for like a week." He explained.

"Oh, where are you doing yours?" She asked.

"I find out the day I leave." He answered apologetically.

Rory nodded to herself. "Feels like a lifetime since I've seen you." She whispered.

"I know. I miss you so much." He said through his teeth.

"I miss you too." She smiled.

"No, I mean I miss you." He said, sounding a bit frustrated.

"Yea, that's what you said." Rory was confused.

"Always the naïve one." He chuckled. She frowned. "Three months is a long time to go without having you." He said with a bit more emphasis on the last two words of his statement.

Her cheeks reddened. "Oh."

"Yea," he breathed.

"Well when we see each other, I'll make sure…" She paused a moment. "…to wear something see-through." She whispered seductively.

"Mmph, don't tease me." His voice sounded strained.

"Well would it help if I tried something on the phone?" She blushed at her own words. Had she really just offered that?! She heard him chuckle.

"I know you don't feel comfortable with that." He said, placating her.

"Well you can't just say that and expect me to not want to do anything. Plus, aren't I supposed to get something out of it too?" She asked determinedly.

"Ahh, so you're just as horny as I am." He said smirking.

"I guess so." She said softly. She heard him moan over the line.

"I'm so hard right now, Mary." He breathed, eyes rolling back. She felt the start of an ache in her lower body as his words filtered through her body. "Want me to tell you what I'm doing to myself?" He said huskily.

Before she could think…a "yes" came out in a whisper, sounding a little more desperate than she'd wanted.

"I'm running my hand down my hard cock, imagining it's your small delicate hand. Oh god, Rory, it feels so good." He hissed in pleasure. She shut her eyes letting his soft, sultry voice overpower her. Without thinking, she slowly reached between her legs to feel her moist warmth. She let out a soft squeak. "Baby tell me what you're doing." He asked breathily.

She took a deep breath, pushing her fingers around her folds refraining from thrusting her fingers deep inside herself. "I'm imagining your fingers playing with my clit, arousing me in that way you do that leaves me panting for more." She paused a moment, as she heard him hiss in approval before she continued. "You circle your fingers around my clit again and easily slide your long finger deep inside me." She slid her finger inside, shuddering at the pressure, letting out a soft sigh.

"God yes." He hissed, gripping himself a little tighter. "You feel so good around my fingers, baby. You like it when I thrust my fingers inside you rubbing against your G-spot over and over." He grunted. She imagined his fingers and let out a tortured moan as she excited her g-spot. "Your hands surrounding my cock feel so good." He continued. She shivered as she heard a moan escape his mouth. She continued to pump her fingers in and out of her, as she felt the end coming.

"Oh god, Tristan. I'm gonna come." She cried out softly. He groaned, upon hearing this.

"Sliding into your slender hole, my cock widens you, giving you more pleasure." He grunted, increasing the pace of his hand. Adding another finger, Rory's head rolled back, panting.

"God yes! Your cock hits everything, givng me everything." She whimpered. "Oh god, Tristan…oh god." She pumped harder kneading her clit as she felt herself clamp around her fingers.

"That's it baby, come for me." She heard him grunt as she kept rocking as she rode out her waves. In the silence, they heard each others deep breaths. Sliding her fingers away, she wiped her hand on a nearby towel.

"How was that?" She asked after a minute, trying to catch her breath.

"How was it? I couldn't even angle. There's stuff everywhere." He groaned, still trying to catch his breath as well. She giggled.

"Sorry." She muttered, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"No, don't be. How was it on your end?" He asked with a smile, imagining her blush.

"Unbelievable. It's been a while since I've been that turned on." She could imagine the smirk covering his face. "Hopefully that was a good break."

"Definitely!" He said in a low voice. But then seeing the books on the floor, he sobered up quickly. "Although…I think you just ruined my night. No way will I get everything done now." He added with a heavy sigh.

She felt really guilty. "Oh, I didn't mean…I just thought it would get your mind off…" He chuckled at her concern.

"Relax, its fine. I'll probably go to sleep and wake up in a few hours. This was good, I really needed that." He whispered honestly.

"Me too." She said snuggling up to the phone.

"You're amazing, Rory. You know that?" He said suddenly. She blushed at his comment.

"You're not so bad yourself." She teased.

"Ugh I should get this cleaned up before it stains." He laughed, looking around the room. She couldn't help but laugh at his comment.

"Haha, ooh. Good luck with that." She heard him laugh.

"Yea. I'll talk to you tomorrow, babe." He said with a yawn.

"Alright. Night and good luck with everything!" She said sweetly.

"Thanks." He smiled.

"I love you." She said softly, not wanting to go.

"I love you too, Rory. Pleasant dreams." He said closing his eyes, trying to picture her face. She smiled widely.

"Oh, they will be. You too." She added, before she hung up the phone, a permanent smile on her face. Going to bed, her actions were all she could think about the whole night.

"My feet are swollen." Winnie complained.

"You're pregnant. That's what happens." Rory said, focusing on her computer.

"Is it me, or has this day really dragged on?" Winnie complained once again.

"Definitely a dragging day." Rory sighed as she put the final touches on an article and sent it to the layout department. She focused her attention Winnie.

"Is Sven really considering Mark to replace me?" Winnie asked.

"I don't know. He hasn't said a word to me. I only told him Monday and he said he'd think about it. Sven is hard to read." Rory shrugged.

"Oh yea." Winnie said in a daze.

"But Mark's roommate is Sven's nephew so maybe he'll give the job to Mark just because of that." Rory said with forced enthusiasm. Winnie gave her a look. "Yea that was a dumb prediction." Winnie was about to speak when the phone rang.

"One sec." She told Winnie. "Rory Gilmore." She answered, professionally.

"Jeez, you're _always_ at work!" Rory's face developed a huge smile.

"I wasn't last night." She said, her voice sounding rather flirtatious.

"Well yes we were getting naughty last night. I hope you weren't using work phones for that." He replied huskily. Rory blushed, remembering the heated phone sex they had.

"No, I used my cell." She replied calmly.

"Good. So do you have time to talk for a minute?" Rory glanced at Winnie who had busied herself reading the weekday paper movie reviews.

"Yea, a minute. What's up?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing serious. I just miss you that's all." He said with a little whine.

"I miss you too and we'll see each other soon. Speaking of which, when are you officially being released from that death course?" He chuckled at her description.

"A few weeks I'm hoping. There's no ceremony or anything like that, just a certificate. So as soon as my last class and final is done, I can come back. And of I'm lucky, maybe I'll get some free time before I have to go back to work." He said happily.

"That would be nice!" She said, her smile getting big once more.

"Yea." He said enjoying the sound of her voice.

"Did you get everything done and get everything out?" She asked vaguely so that Winnie didn't understand, but he caught her meaning. He laughed at her quick thinking.

"Yes for the done and mostly for the out." He replied dryly.

"Good, I'm glad." She heard talking in the background.

"Hey, babe, I hate to cut this short, but I've got a seminar in about 30 minutes that I have to get ready for. I just wanted to check-in." He said suddenly.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later." She answered.

"Yup, Love ya babe." He smiled.

"Love you too, Tristan." She smiled as she hung up the phone.

"Lover boy?" Winnie asked grinning.

"As usual." They laughed.

"Speaking of which, Lover Boy Mark is MIA. Usually he's ready and waiting to distract this time of day. The sugar from lunch has just been broken down and he's using all of the energy." Rory looked around and nodded.

"That's weird. It's almost too quiet." Rory commented.

"Maybe he went to the bathroom and fell into the toilet." Winnie said brainstorming.

"I doubt it. The whole building would have heard him screaming for help." Rory laughed. Winnie grunted.

"Hey guys." Mark said walking into Rory's office.

"Speaking of the devil! We thought you fell into the toilet or something." Winnie commented.

"_Winnie_ thought you fell into a toilet." Rory said, holding up her hands. Marks smiled weakly.

"No sarcastic quip? Are you okay?" Winnie asked, placing a hand on her growing belly.

"Yea, I'm fine. Just a little…under the weather." Mark replied stoically.

"How so?" Rory asked, concerned.

He shrugged. "My grandfather isn't doing too well. He's been in and out of the hospital a lot lately. I got a call from the hospital saying he's back in and it would be good if I could come. I'm leaving soon to go see him." Winnie and Rory both gave sympathetic looks.

"Is Laura going with you?" Winnie asked softly.

He shook his head. "She's in Vermont on a family camping trip. No significant others allowed."

"I'd go with you, but today is mine and Rob's anniversary." Winnie offered.

"It's okay. I wasn't expecting anyone to go with me. My brother is meeting me at the airport." Rory sighed and gave it a thought.

"Hey Mark, I'll go with you." She announced.

"What? No, don't be silly. It's all the way in Hartford." He said with wide eyes.

"Hartford?" Her eyes widened. "That's actually perfect! My mom and step dad live in Stars Hollow. I've been looking for an excuse to see them." Mark nodded.

"You wouldn't mind?" He asked, hesitantly. She waved off his hesitation.

"Not at all. My mom will be thrilled. Not about your grandfather, of course. About me coming to see them." She said giving him a pointed look.

"Alright, I'm leaving around two, the flight is at three. Do you need to go home first?"

"Nope. That's the nice thing about not owning a pet. You can just leave at a moments notice." She smiled up at him.

"Thanks, Rory." He said.

"You're almost doing me a favor." She said, shrugging off his gratitude.

"I'll let you know ten minutes before we have to leave." Rory nodded and watched Mark shuffle out. Winnie and Rory looked at each other.

"He looks so sad." Rory observed.

"In all of the years I've known him, I've never seen him so upset. He usually keeps to himself about things like this." Rory nodded.

"Alright. I have to finish this since we're leaving in an hour."

"That was my cue to leave." Winnie joked frowning.

"Don't be sad! You're going to be up all night with your stud." Rory teased.

At that, Winnie perked up and grinned. "Ain't that the truth." Winnie winked and left leaving Rory to her thoughts. She sent an email to Sven explaining the situation. She then finished an article and sent it to another editor.

The next time she looked up from her computer was when Mark shuffled into her office muttering a ten-minute warning. Packing her things up and locking her drawers, she turned off the lights and shut the door. She met Mark in the hallway.

"Are you sure you don't mind going?" He asked tentatively.

"Positive. My mom and I have to catch up anyway." He nodded softly as they exited together. Luckily Rory hadn't driven that morning so she got into the cab. She noticed that he had somehow managed to pack an overnight bag. The ride was spent mostly in silence—save for the small snippets of conversation about nothing at all.

Security was virtually empty so they made it through and got onto their plane rather quickly. Before the plan departed Rory called her mom. Lorelai was overly excited about Rory being in town and promised to pick her up from the hospital after her shift at the Dragonfly ended. Around 2 hours later, they exited the Hartford airport onto the busy streets with Mark's brother, Andrew, joining them sometime during their journey out of the terminal.

Rory stopped outside the hospital and licked her lips. Standing in front of her in its massive glory was Redding Hospital. The very hospital her grandfather had passed away in only half a year before.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked. She nodded minimally and took a deep breath before following the brothers inside. She watched as Andrew moved through the halls with practice. They entered the cardiac wing, passing by the all-too familiar bench, and Rory immediately recognized the nurse/receptionist. Ellen was it? Maybe it was Helen. She didn't quite remember but it didn't matter because neither of the boys had slowed down. She followed them until they got to a closed door.

"This is it." Andrew sighed.

"Should I wait out here?" She didn't want to intrude on a family moment.

"No, no, you can come in." Mark assured her. The three entered the room. Rory was surprised to see the older man sitting up in bed talking animatedly to some people. She hated to be pessimistic, but she was expecting an unconscious man with tubes, wires and beeping machines lying on his deathbed. Yes, there were tubes and machines, but he looked healthy.

"Poppy!" Mark breathed a sigh of relief and gave the man a hug. Andrew joined the others while Rory awkwardly stood in the doorway.

"How're you feeling?" Mark asked.

"Alright now that you're here." Mark smiled. "Although I'm feeling a bit…queasy." Mark's smile disappeared.

"Should we call your doctor?" Mark asked concerned.

"No, no. No need to upset him while he's away." His grandfather said, waving him off.

"What about your new doctor?" Mark asked.

"It's fine. It comes and goes." Mark nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but his grandfather beat him to it. "I can't believe you suggested that screw-up." The older man muttered. "I mean what was wrong with the other doctor I was transferred too? What braniac gave me my current numb-nut doctor, huh?" His grandfather groused.

"I don't know, I'll go find out for you." Mark said and signaled for Rory to follow. He stopped outside in the hallway just outside the door.

"He seems like a very opinionated man." Rory said, smiling.

"Yea. He had this one doctor who was great. He would spend like an hour with him at any time. But he's on a temporary leave for some program and he transferred my grandfather to another doctor. He was good, not as good, but he was learning and my grandfather tried to help him out, but this _new_ doctor. An ass hole, a complete failure." Mark complained.

Rory nodded. "So are you going to get him a new one?"

"I called this morning. If the doctor that comes in tonight isn't different, then I say something." Rory nodded. "He was actually the one to suggest this." He pulled up his sleeve and showed Rory his camera tattoo.

"Can I meet him?" Rory asked.

"Oh god, I'm so out of it. Yes, of course!" They went back inside.

"Well?" His grandfather asked immediately.

"They're taking care of it." The old man grunted. "Poppy, I want you to meet someone." He pulled Rory forward. "This is one of my good friends, Rory. She was going home to Stars Hollow and she accompanied me on the trip here."

"This is your girlfriend." His grandfather asked, eyeing Rory.

"No, coworker. My girlfriend is Laura. She wanted to come, but she's away." The man nodded and glanced over Rory. She immediately felt uncomfortable, as the man's gaze didn't leave her. He opened his eyes wide and then squinted. Rory looked to Mark for help. He shrugged, but continued. "And Rory, this is my grandfather, Jim." Rory smiled uneasily and shook the man's hand, but gave a panicked look when he didn't let go.

"Poppy?" Mark asked quizzically.

"Rory, you said?" He asked.

"Yes sir." She looked at her captured hand.

"Forgive me for being rude, but I believe I know you. Well, _I_ know _you_." He chuckled. Rory nodded slightly disturbed.

"Sir, may I have my hand back." He immediately released her hand and pointed to the stool next to the bed.

"Sit down." She obeyed. Mark continued to look on in confusion. "You're with Tristan, no?" Mark's grandfather asked, suddenly.

Her eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

"Tristan was my doctor before he left for that course in England. And we talked on the phone once, I believe." Rory's jaw dropped. It made sense. All of it.

"Jim Shields?" She asked in awe.

"Ahh yes, so you _do_ remember me." Jim smiled happily.

"But Mark's last name is Utelle." She pointed out dumbly.

"He's my mom's dad." Mark supplied. She nodded awestruck.

"Yes, Tristan talks about you a lot. You're the one who told Tristan to do that thing with CDs." She said, remembering the conversation they had about him.

"Yes, with Metal and your favorite CD." Jim replied proudly. Mark looked on surprised, while the others just looked confused.

"Sounds like you have a lot in common with Mark." Rory said with a smile. Mark grinned at that and nodded.

"When I said we should meet I didn't mean for it to be like this!" Jim said, laughing at the irony of the situation. Life sure was surreal sometimes.

Rory joined in, laughing. "Me neither. I was just going to see my mom—I had no idea you two are related, although I'm not in the least bit surprised." Jim nodded and moved to the bedside table. He picked up a creased photograph and handed it to Rory. She looked at it and gasped.

"Where did you get this?" She whispered.

"Tristan showed it to me once and he forgot to take it back. That's how I knew who you were." Jim replied gently.

"Oh." She felt a sense of relief. That made sense.

"Good, now everyone if you could leave, I'd like to have a moment with the girl." He announced to the room. No one looked phased but Mark gave Rory a glance before exiting with everyone else. "Comfy?"

"Yes, sir." Rory replied.

"So, how's Tristan doing?" Jim asked seriously.

"Great. He should be finished with the course and back in the United States in just a few weeks." She said proudly. Jim nodded.

"We had many talks about you, you know. I'm still trying to process the fact that you're here in the flesh." Jim stated. Rory laughed.

"I hope all the talks were about good things." She joked good-naturedly.

"Not so much things as feeling and decisions." He replied vaguely.

"Decisions concerning me?" He nodded. "Like what?!" She asked curiously.

"He almost declined the abroad program to be with you." He responded, giving her a knowing look. Rory was touched. She knew it was a tough decision for him but she hadn't known how torn he was about it.

"I miss him a lot." She said suddenly. She just felt so comfortable talking to him.

"But he'll be home soon and then everything will be fine." He reassured her.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I was in love once too, you know. I know I may be old but I'll never forget my one and only true love. Her name was Naomi. We met when I was 21 and she was 19. We got married a year later and had kids a year after that. We were together for 49 years before she passed away. Nine years battling breast cancer and it just got her." He said, choking up, towards the end. Rory sighed, touched even more by the story.

"I'm sorry for your loss." She whispered.

"Don't be. It's better this way. She wasn't happy and she was in pain." He replied sadly.

"Everything but the end sounds like a fairy tale." She sighed.

"Oh it was." He said wistfully, picturing his wife's smiling face. She looked at her hands.

"I wish I had something like that." She said suddenly.

"From what I hear, it's like you have both fate _and_ cupid in your life. Everything will be great. You'll get married, have kids, maybe have grandkids, and you'll grow old together." She grunted softly. There was no mistake that he was talking about her and Tristan.

"How do you know that?" She replied disbelievingly.

"Because I've heard the way he talks about you and I see the faraway glint in your eyes when we talk about Tristan. It's a classic case of love. Everlasting love at that." He answered seriously.

"Thank you, sir. That means a lot to me." She said giving him a small smile.

"Of course!" Jim smiled.

"Do you…" She began but was interrupted by a knock on the door. A doctor came in followed by Mark and a few others.

"Poppy, this is your new doctor." Jim looked at the doctor briefly and grunted.

"If I could have everyone step out of the room for the time being that would be fantastic." The doctor requested.

"One of them is staying." Jim said firmly. The doctor looked helpless. "Mark, stay." Mark looked at Rory.

"Oh, I need to get going. My mom will be here in a few minutes." He nodded and gave her a quick hug.

"Thanks for coming with me." Mark whispered.

"Anytime. Bye Jim. It was great meeting you. I'll have Tristan come by when he gets home." She said to Jim.

"Thanks doll, and you be good!" He replied giving her a warm smile.

"I will." She gave the man a quick hug. Before she pulled away he patted her cheek.

"Make sure he buys you a nice ring, okay?" Rory laughed and nodded.

"Of course. Take care." Rory waved goodbye to everyone else and departed. She walked to the front and saw her mom waiting in the car. She ran to her and hugged her.

"My baby!" They hugged for a long time before separating.

"I have a _lot_ to tell you." Rory said with excitement.

"Well go on. Spill!" Lorelai exclaimed. Rory smiled and recounted the details of the last few hours. It was going to be a long weekend.

Sometimes you meet people and they're the people who you know were put on this Earth to help you. They help you realize the truth, and they help you realize that what's right there, is what you most desire.

**A/N: Wooww. So not my most favorite chapter, but it had the meeting with Rory and Jim so that was important. Sorrrry for the long ass wait!! I have college apps to fill out and work to do so I'm kinda being hokey pokey slow. I've started to write the next chappie though, so I hope it'll come sooner! I really hope you stick around, because I'm guessing there's only 2 or 3 chapters left. And I think you can guess what's going to happen in the next one. :0) Anyway, thank you all so much!! ****Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

locoforcoco12: Haha, I WISH I could forget about my social life and just write this story!! Unfortunately, though, I have college applications. But hopefully I'll be done those by the end of next week!!

princetongirl

MarieCherry: LOL, I know!!! Yea, but life always has a way of turning back around and becoming happy. You'll see that in the next few chapters. Hint, hint!

Brenda: wow. Thanks!

Joise: She never had the test done. This is one of the bases of Rory's fears for being with Tristan. And this chapter and the chapter after don't really talk about it too much. But it will come up again.

Curley-Q: Oooh, thanks for the suggestion! I don't know why, but I decided not to use a song. I forget my reasoning now. It was probably a stupid reason. Lol. But thanks anyways!!

nemo123489

FairyGirl03: Yea, I try not to make Rory be like that too much, but it's her character I suppose. I can think of one more moment in my story where you'll just want to slap her, but it won't last long.

Mongoose 187

Kylie1403

LoVe23: Sure you can! I have faith!!

Spreeaholic1: Aww it's okay. I don't know many metal fans.

Kris: Wellll, I thought I might take a break. I'm bringing it back though!


	21. Chapter Twenty One

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident. Tristan goes to England for a medical program for 6 months, and has to leave Rory in the states.

Many, many thanks to my beta Love23. She knows she's wonderful. :0)

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Twenty-One:

He walked into the Admissions office and immediately found the person he needed. "Hi, I'm here to sign up for the re-integration program."

"Ahh, well you're a little late, but we'll find somewhere for you. Is there any place in particular you'd like to be placed?" The administrator asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yea, I've been busy with finals. Do you have anything in Hartford or near Hartford?" The woman pursed her lips and flipped through a binder of papers.

"I don't see anything left there. I could do a New York City, or Providence, Rhode Island? Do either of those sound good?" He bit his lip. "Oh and I have a Boston as well."

"Do they all take the same amount of time?" He asked anxiously. The woman smiled.

"It depends if you're with someone who's done the program before and is qualified." She answered honestly.

"Are any of the people qualified?" He asked still not sure which one to pick.

"Hmm. Yes, the one in Boston and the one in New York City." He sighed again and scratched his scalp.

"I'll take the one in Boston."

"Dear god, you're about to pop!" Mark said, making a popping noise with his finger and mouth. Winnie gave him a death glare.

"I still have two months. Thank god you're not planning on having children soon." Mark laughed.

"So all funniness aside, I have to ask you a serious question." Winnie immediately clutched the desk and gasped.

"You said the word 'serious'. Wow, I guess pigs do fly." She said mockingly.

"Hardy har har." He scoffed. Winnie giggled. "Sven offered me the job."

"What job?" Winnie asked, confused.

"Your job." He said, looking down. She looked surprised.

"Oh, well congratulations. Although, from what I hear, Rory actually got you that job." She shrugged.

"I know, I was just wondering if you were okay with it. I mean, its a lot more money than I make right now, so I want it, but if you'd rather I didn't, then I won't." He said quickly. She looked touched.

"Wow. No Mark, take it. When this baby is born I'll have my hands full. Someone needs to do it, and you're more than qualified." She replied sincerely.

"Are you sure?" he asked wearily.

"Absolutely. I'll even give you my number in case you have any questions." She said smiling.

"Oh, but I already have your number." Winnie put her finger to her lips.

"Shh, just go with it." Mark laughed and nodded.

"Thanks Winnie."

"Sure." He gave her a hug as best as he could with her pregnant belly. She laughed at how close he could get with her stomach there.

"Oh my god, this morning was _horrific_!" The two turned to see Rory arriving in a huff. She dropped her things and unlocked her door. She then proceeded to kick her things inside and slouch against the wall. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. Winnie and Mark looked at each other and then looked back at her.

"Are you…are you okay?" Winnie asked tentatively.

"No!" Rory yelled. Winnie made a motion to Mark with her hands, clearly letting him know that she'd take care of it. He nodded thankfully and walked away quickly. She walked towards Rory and shut the door behind them so they were alone in Rory's office.

"What's wrong?" Winnie asked gently.

"I don't _know_." Rory sighed, frustrated.

"Let's sit down." She helped Rory to her chair and brought over a chair for herself.

"PMS?" Winnie asked, beginning the list.

"No, it ended last week so it's not that." Rory said, practically whining. Winnie nodded and twisted her mouth.

"Did you have coffee this morning?" She listed off.

"Of course." Rory scoffed.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Winnie continued.

"About 8 hours." Winnie nodded. That was a decent amount.

"Pent up sexual frustration?" She asked again.

"What? No!" Rory exclaimed.

"Well I'm running out of ideas here." Winnie shrugged.

Rory groaned. "I haven't talked to him in a few days now and it's driving me crazy! He's supposed to be in the US and be with someone doing something. He's like MIA!"

Winnie nodded, knowingly. "Is Tristan in the country at least?"

"Yea, he called me when he landed but he couldn't talk long. It's been 6 days! Honestly, why haven't I seen him yet and more importantly, why hasn't he called?!" Rory yelled, practically in tears.

"I don't know, sweetie, but you'll see him soon. Alright?" Winnie said placating. Rory nodded. "Come here." Winnie pulled her into a half hug. Her stomach was really causing some problems.

"I really, really miss him." Rory whispered.

"I know." There's a moment of silence. "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"

"Eating and then sulking in front of the TV." Rory said dejectedly.

"Eat dinner at my place tonight. Rob's cooking something and he hasn't seen you in awhile. I'm sure he'd like to catch up with you." Winnie smiled.

"And what about tomorrow? I get to sulk in front of my TV tomorrow night, but not tonight?" Rory pouted.

"Eat with Mark tomorrow night. Or you can come over tomorrow night too. Maybe help us with the baby's room?" Winnie suggested. Rory smiled and nodded.

"Thanks." Rory sighed.

"Sure." Winnie smiled.

"Should I bring anything?" Rory asked.

"Yourself." Winnie answered. Rory rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Alright, hang on. Let me write that down." Rory joked.

"There's that smile." Winnie said happily.

"What's Rob been up too?" Rory asked, finally coming out of her funk. Winnie sighed.

"I don't know. Saving lives, I suppose. He's doing something now for that England program. I'm not sure what though. I haven't really been paying attention to him lately. He's kinda annoying and we're in a fight." Winnie revealed.

"Really?" Rory asked in concern.

"Yea. I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm incredibly horny." Winnie whined, sounding much like Rory earlier. Rory's eyes opened wide.

"Yea, didn't want to hear that." Rory said, clearly blushing.

"Well, now that I've started I'll just finish. Anyway, he's afraid that this late in the pregnancy, he's going to hurt the baby. And I'm not into woman on top right now. I feel like I'm going to suffocate him with my belly, and it's just a problem." She explained, clearly at a loss.

"Maybe I shouldn't come over tonight, then. Let you two work out your differences." Rory teased.

"No, it's fine. Rob is having someone over." Winnie said, slapping Rory's arm playfully.

"Oh, so you invited me over because you don't want to be the only female." Winnie looked away guiltily.

"I knew it!" Rory yelled in mock indignation.

"Yea, yea." Winnie laughed.

"So who's coming over?" Winnie asked Rob. When Winnie came home from work, she and Rob had called a truce, since they were having a guest over.

"Oh, just someone from the England program. I was put on the re-integration list." Rob shrugged.

"What's that?" Winnie asked confused.

"It's basically a pointless program to get the doctors to think about American health systems again. To remember that we actually charge for our medicines." Rob explained.

"Was that a cut against European health care?" Winnie asked, with a raised brow.

"No! It's just a different way of thinking over there. Nothing against either system, they're just different." Rob laughed.

"I see. So who's this guy?" Winnie asked as she straightened out the kitchen.

"Tristan Dugrey. He's an amazing doctor. But then again, those that are selected for the trip usually are." Rob answered, not seeing Winnie's reaction. 'Tristan Dugrey? That sounds familiar.' Winnie thought.

"What's his specialty?" Winnie asked, trying to pinpoint the name.

"He doesn't really have one, but he's interested in the heart." Rob answered from the living room.

"Ahh. Well I invited Rory over tonight. She's sulking because she hasn't talked to her beau in awhile." Winnie advised.

"Aww I haven't seen her in awhile. How is she?" Rob smiled as he stood at the kitchen doorway.

"Pretty good. Had a mini breakdown this morning, but I fixed it!" Winnie said triumphantly, flashing Rob a brilliant smile. At that moment, Rob couldn't think she was anymore beautiful.

"Of course." He chuckled.

'When's this guy coming over?" Winnie asked, walking towards him.

"Oh umm, about 25 minutes." He replied, looking at his watch.

"Alright, I'm going to get changed then." As Winnie walked to the bedroom to get changed, she thought about the name. Rory's boyfriend was named Tristan, but they couldn't possibly be the same, right? Tristan isn't a very common name, but could there have been 2 Tristan's on the trip? She wouldn't know until they saw each other. Unless…she did some research on Tristan. She quickly looked at the clock and changed, before re-emerging into the kitchen wearing something a little more casual, but still nice. She helped Rob in the kitchen.

"You know, the guy Rory is with is named Tristan." She mentioned casually. Rob looked at her in interest.

"Really? Are they the same guy?" He asked, intrigued.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out." There was a knock on the door.

"And sooner than we thought. Finish washing that and put it into the bowl." Rob said and went to get the door. Winnie could hear the two men. She finished and exited.

"Tristan, this is my wife, Winnie. Winnie, this is Tristan." Rob said as he introduced the two.

"Hi." Tristan replied and shook Winnie's hand.

"Hi, welcome." She smiled.

"Thank you. I love your home. It looks really nice." Tristan said. Winnie beamed at the compliment.

"Tristan, can I offer you something to drink?" Winnie asked.

"Oh, water would be great." Winnie nodded and waddled out leaving Rob and Tristan alone. They talked briefly when a timer beeped.

"Crap, hold on Tristan. Make yourself at home. Look at some photos. Whatever. I'll be right back." Rob said and exited. He nodded and sat down on the couch.

There was a photo album on the coffee table, so he picked it up and briefly looked through it. They were wedding pictures of Rob and Winnie. He smiled at the pictures and thought of Rory. How he wished he could call her and see her. He continued to leaf through the photos when someone caught his eye. His flipped back and looked at the photograph. It was Rory. God was this a small world. He slowly turned the page and Rory seemed to be in more and more photos. There was one with Winnie and Rory hugging each other tightly and brightly smiling into the camera. Then there was one with a guy who wasn't Rob in the middle of the two. He has a tattoo on his forearm. He rubbed his stubble coated chin in confusion. He heard footsteps and saw as Winnie came back in holding his water.

"Thank you." He replied gratefully.

"Sure. What are you looking at?" She sat down next to him.

"Rob said to look at some pictures." He said motioning toward the album. Winnie smiled.

"Those are from our wedding." Tristan nodded. Winnie looked at the ones he was stopped at. All of them had Rory in them. She pointed to the one with her, Rory and Mark.

"This is one of my favourite's." She said and pointed.

"Oh? Why?" Tristan asked.

"Well I see both of them everyday. He's the wackiest guy you'll ever meet, and this one. She's a handful, but very lovable." Winnie laughed as she thought of her friends. He nodded his head in agreement.

"Do you know her?" Winnie asked. He looked at her startled.

"Oh, I umm…" And at that precise moment, there was a knock on the door. Winnie smiled widely and patted Tristan's arm.

"It's open!" She called. The door was opened and in came Rory, covered in snow and wearing mittens.

"It's not even Christmas yet and already they're sold out of New Years supplies!" She said, huffing having not looked up from her door. Tristan, however, was stuck in place. Staring at Rory.

"Rory?" Winnie coaxed.

"Yes?" She looked up and saw Winnie, but her attention immediately went to Tristan. She dropped the bag she was holding.

"I…oh my…Tristan." Rory stuttered before running over to him. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her tightly, swaying in place. Winnie smiled softly and silently got up and left, leaving the two in private. Rory pulled back slightly and stared up at him.

Not wanting to wait a second longer, he crashed his lips to hers. She moaned into his mouth as the kiss was deepened almost as soon as it started. Her arms snaked around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He picked her off the floor slightly, so involved in her. He finally broke the kiss and placed her back on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his eyes shining brightly.

"I think the question is, what are _you_ doing here?" She asked, playfully slapping his shoulder.

"Rob is my assigned guy for settling back into the U.S. You?" He replied unable to stop smiling.

"I work with Winnie. She invited me over for dinner." Rory replied laughing. 'Of all the places…'

"You don't think they knew, do you?" He asked.

"Oh my god, Winnie and her ulterior motives!" Rory grumbled, loving the feeling of being in Tristan's arms again.

"I know this isn't the place, but how have you been?" He asked.

"Miserable. I had a mini breakdown this morning." She pouted. He gave her a concerned look.

"What happened?" He asked, tilting her chin up to look him in the face.

"I hadn't heard from you in awhile. I just…you're it for me Tristan. No one else." She blurted out. His stomach did somersaults at her revelation. He caught her in a deep kiss.

"You're it for me too." He said in between kisses. Finally they separated.

"We should probably join Rob and Winnie before they think we ditched them." She laced her fingers through his.

"Yea, come on. Let's go." They entered the kitchen to see Winnie and Rob sitting at the table. Upon seeing Rory and Tristan, the two stood up.

"Did you know?" Rory immediately asked.

"Know what?" Winnie asked, confused.

"Know that this was my Tristan?" Rory huffed. Winnie and Rob shook their heads.

"Before Tristan got here, I pieced it together and it was confirmed when he was looking at my wedding photos. Rob didn't know either." Winnie explained, happy that she was able to indirectly help her friend.

"Well now that you guys actually know who each other are, Tristan this is Winnie. She's one of the ones who's always in my office." Tristan nodded as if what she said clicked.

"Nice to finally meet you." Tristan said honestly.

"Likewise." They once again shook hands.

It was a rather peaceful meal filled with small romantic touches on both sides of the table. Rory knew Winnie and Rob needed to talk and she knew that she and Tristan needed to talk _badly_.

"Rob, this food was amazing. Thanks for having me, guys." Rory said as Tristan and she prepared to leave.

"Oh, you know we love you. Come back any time. The nursery needs some of your touch in it." Rory grinned and nodded towards Rob. She gave both of them hugs as Tristan shook Rob's hand and gave Winnie a light hug. Rory took Tristan's hand and lead him outside and finally onto the street. Once there, she jumped into his arms hugged him tightly. He let out a grunt but hugged her back with one swift motion.

"Where are you staying?" She asked, still in his arms.

"Copley Plaza Hotel." He answered.

"Fancy, aren't we?" She teased as she let go.

"I try." He said haughtily.

"Stay with me. Save that $300 plus to buy something for me!" She yelled playfully. Tristan chuckled at her and nodded.

"I'd love too." They walked in silence and got onto the train. Once arriving at Rory's stop, they got off and slowly made their way to Rory's apartment. Before she opened her door, she prepped him.

"Okay, so had I known you'd be here, I probably would've cleaned it up a little…" He cut her off with a sweet kiss.

"Babe, we're dating. You've already won me over." He whispered against her lips. Her heart fluttered. She leaned up and fisted the front of his shirt in her hands as she kissed him. She pulled back and shifted her keys so she could insert the right one. She opened her door and led them in, shutting it behind them.

"This is it. Home sweet home." She watched as Tristan took everything. He smiled as his eyes moved over to her kitchen. She had pots and pans hanging up, most of them still with their original packaging on them. Before he could look more, she grabbed his hand and pulled him.

"Main room, kitchen. Clearly. Okay, moving on." She said as she pointed out the various rooms in her abode. He chuckled. "This is my study." He peeked his head in and marveled at the walls lined with books. Whoever helped her move in must have had fun bringing the boxes of books in. "The bathroom. In that room is the guest room, although half my closet is currently living on the bed. And this is my room." She pushed the door open fully and pulled him in. He took in the blues and pinks and the clutter. Everywhere. How did she function?

"I told you it was messy." She said sheepishly.

Tristan laughed. "It's very nice."

"Well I thank you for being courteous." She scoffed.

"Hey, you warned me first. It's not like I can be surprised." He replied.

"_Exactly_." She looked at their clasped hands and bit her lip. Tears came to her eyes.

"Rory?" She turned and took her hand away and wiped away the pending tear.

"I'm fine." She said quickly.

"No, you're not. Come here." He turned her and sighed when he saw her tear-brimmed eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…I just, I missed you that's all. You being back, it's like a slap in the face. I didn't realize how much I missed you until tonight." She rambled.

"Ditto, Mary." She couldn't help the smile that formed when she heard the name roll of his tongue. He smiled, trying to encourage the smile on her face to get wider. It worked.

"Come on." He said as he grasped her hand and brought her with him to her kitchen. He pointed to a high stool. She sat on it as she watched Tristan go through cabinets and drawers. When Rory asked if he was looking for anything, he quickly silenced her with a finger.

"If you tell me, maybe I can help you." She pointed out.

"No need, I found it." He pulled out a bag from the freezer and headed over to her nice coffee maker. A huge smile enveloped her face as she watched him make her coffee. As they waited for the coffee to brew, he walked over to her and stood between her legs.

"I heard you met Jim." Tristan said, smiling. Rory opened her mouth and closed it. She'd completely forgotten to tell Tristan! She _knew_ there was something she was forgetting.

"Yea, I did! It turns out he's the grandfather of Mark, my coworker. I offered to tag along with him since it was at Redding Hospital. How did you know that?" She asked in awe.

"Jim called me I guess…an hour after you left. He wanted to give me an update of his health and then told me he had great news." Tristan said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh?" She replied, urging him to continue.

"Yup. He said that you were even more beautiful in person…that he approved…you're an angel…oh, and I was crazy to leave you here for 6 months." She grinned.

"Yea, the picture was a nice touch." She teased. Tristan laughed sheepishly.

"What can I say? I carry a picture of you around with me so I can make sure that I'm _actually_ ma—umm, dating you and it's not just a dream." 'Nice almost Freudian slip,' Tristan thought as he mentally chided himself. Rory didn't seem to notice, but then again the buzzer on the coffee maker just went off. He backed away and found two mugs. He poured coffee into them and handed Rory one. She smelled it, savouring the smell and then greedily gulped it down. Tristan set his half finished mug aside and pulled Rory up. He had a certain glint in his eyes that Rory couldn't quite place.

"Have you ever just thought that life was meant to be?" Tristan asked. Rory cocked her head in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Like something is destined for you and how you make it there is up to you?" He asked looking deep into her eyes.

"Like fate?" She asked, wondering where he was going with this.

"Yea, I guess." He shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess so. I've never thought about it." Liar.

"What about true love?" He pressed on.

"Tristan, what's going on?" She asked shakily.

"Just answer the question." He said firmly, not letting her 'run' from the topic of conversation.

She sighed. "I believe that there is someone out there for everyone who just completes them in every possible way." She finally replied. He nodded. "Why are you asking me this?"

"I believe that if something should happen, it will. We've been thrown together numerous times, like tonight. Who would've ever thought we'd see each other tonight?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "I also believe in true love. I believe that love can be pure and last a lifetime." He said seriously. She nodded.

"I don't understand…" She began, but he cut her off.

"You told me today that I'm it for you." Realization dawned over her. "Well you're it for me too." Silence. He licked his lips and dug his hand into his pocket.

"I've been carrying this around with me ever since I boarded that plane in England." He pulled his hand out of his pocket to reveal a royal blue velvet box. Her hand flew to her mouth as he gracefully lowered himself onto one knee.

"Marry me, Rory. I can't possibly imagine not being with you forever, and I know if I don't ask now, I'm going to ask at the most inappropriate time because I'll be in the moment and…god, do you see what you do to me? You make me ramble! I know we haven't been together for that long, but we've known each other for years and I'm just…please Rory. Say yes and be my wife." He opened the ring box. A gasp emitted from her mouth as tears rolled down Rory's cheeks. She stared into the eyes she loved so much it hurt as she thought about it. And for once, thought just the right amount.

She couldn't find the words. All 26 plus years of learning suddenly flew out the window. Her Yale degree couldn't even help her. So she succumbed to just nodding. She knew he got the message because the next thing she knew was him jumping up and wrapping his arms around her in a large hug. He pulled back and kissed her long and hard. She pulled back and stared him in the eyes. He smiled and using the pad of his thumb, wiped away her tears.

"I know you have fears for the future, especially having children, but you can trust me that I will always love you. The ability to conceive or not." His words calmed her inner nerves.

"Can I have the ring?" She hiccupped. He laughed and nodded taking the ring out of the box and slipping it onto her ring finger. She took her hand back and inspected it close up. It was a slightly large ring, but it was one of the most elegant and beautiful ones she'd ever seen. She gleefully latched onto his lips, biting his lip and pulling herself closer to him. She leaned and brushed against him. He moaned into the kiss and pulled her closer. She placed one leg around his waist and without breaking the kiss; he hoisted her up so she could lock her legs together behind his back.

"Bedroom." She said in between kisses. He blindly walked to her room and carefully placed her down massaging her lips with his. Trailing one of his hands up her leg, he went under her skirt and massaged her upper thigh. Using one hand, she unbuttoned her skirt and then pulled Tristan's shirt from out of his pants. He removed his hand and pulled down her skirt and underwear in one motion. She kicked off the offending garments and busied herself unbuttoning his shirt and then pushed it off his broad shoulders.

Finally, the kiss stopped as their shallow breath's encouraged the fast pace of clothing removal. He unbuttoned his pants and pulled his boxers and pants down and kicked them off and then helped Rory take off her wrap shirt. As soon as her bra was undone, he latched himself onto one of her nipples, then bit and sucked it making her arch into him. He did the same to her other and moved his fingers down to her folds. She moaned as he felt around her slick opening, and tested her. Moving back to her lips, he slid a finger into her. She groaned into the kiss as his tongue swept through her mouth in time with his finger.

"I need you." She mumbled and grabbed his hand to stop him. He grabbed his pants but she pulled him back.

"Mary, we need something…"

"I'm on the pill." She was? He nodded and moved back above her. She spread her legs for him and anticipated his entrance. She felt him swirl the head of his penis around her opening, making himself slippery with her pre-cum. She bucked up against him and in that moment he thrust all the way into her. They both moaned at the contact. He pulled back and thrust into her again and again. She threw her head back as his penis stroked her g-spot over and over again. She whimpered as she felt a pending orgasm. Tristan, getting close himself, felt as her walls clamp once or twice which indicated how close she was to the edge. He took one leg and placed it on his shoulder and then did the same with the other one. They both moaned at the new position. Tristan pushed in deeper a few more times before tickling her clit with his thumb and sending her over. He rode into her as she rode out the waves. The last of her waves sent Tristan off as his body jerked and he spilled himself into her and then collapsed on top of her.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Tristan pulled out and lay down next to her. She looked at him through dazed eyes and lazily kissed him. He pulled the covers up and over their bodies.

"That was incredible." Rory said, and kissed Tristan's chest. He wrapped his arm around her naked back and became eye level with her.

"Since when have you been on the pill?" The topic startled Rory.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"Birth control. Wait, Rory you're not on it? I thought…"

"Oh, no I am. Sorry, I'm tired. Yes I'm on the pill." She replied quickly.

"When did you start it?" He asked.

"Let's see…well I wanted to make sure it worked when I visited you in England so I guess…4 months ago."

"Okay good." He said taking a deep breath.

"Should I have told you? I mean, I didn't think it was important and…" he cut her off by placing a warm kiss on her lips.

"It's fine, you didn't have to tell me. I'm not sure if when I reached for a condom was the right time, though either." He teased.

"Yea, maybe not." She moved her hand from underneath the covers to once again stare at her ring. "This is absolutely beautiful. Where did you get it?" He cupped her hand in his so they could look at it together.

"A store in England." He replied, remembering the day.

"It's incredible." She pointed at the large diamond. A diamond just under 1 carat sat in between two diamonds, each .15 carats. It was impressive.

"Just like the woman I bought it for." He said lovingly.

"Oh, you should probably take it back then. It's not nice to give a woman someone else's ring." She teased. He laughed and gave her a squeeze.

"This ring is why I could never talk long on the phone if it was during the day. I had to keep making calls to make sure the ring was available." Rory grinned up at him.

"How much did this cost you?" She asked.

"A pretty penny." He said without hesitance.

"Tristan!" She whined. "Tell me." He shook his head and kissed her.

"Well then answer this: what year would this ring have been popular in because it's not something you see nowadays." She said admiring the ring on her hand once more.

"The woman told me it's an antique from the 1950s." Her eyes widened as she squinted at it.

"This must have cost over $5,000." She gasped. He said nothing, just winked. She groaned. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because it's none of your business." He tapped her nose. She huffed and pouted.

"Pouting? Really?" He teased and turned his body so he was looking down at her.

"You're mean." She said scowling.

"I know, but you love me anyways." She nodded her agreement as he leaned down and once again kissed her. She let out a squeak when she felt his warm hand slip between her legs and massaged her sensitive nub. He grinned wickedly as he initiated round two.

The next morning, Rory couldn't concentrate at all. She would work in cycles; type, look at ring, sigh, and smile. And then repeat. She looked at her clock and groaned when she saw that only an hour of work had passed. Since Winnie was pregnant, she came in a little late everyday so Rory was alone. Mark usually arrived the same time as her, but he was usually sleeping until Sven walked by his desk and smacked his head for him to start working.

She ran her hands through her hair, sighing. Four times. They had sex _four times_ before they even considered sleep. In the morning, she woke up with her legs intertwined with his and with his hand resting on the small of her back. As soon as she stirred, Tristan did as well. 'He probably went back to sleep, that lucky bastard,' Rory thought.

"Ugh, this is the worst thing ever. I feel like a cow." Rory looked up when she heard Winnie's voice.

"A cow? No, you're not that big!" Rory said laughing. Winnie ignored her.

"So, tell me about freaky coincidences." Winnie said, referring to the night before.

"Very weird." Rory agreed.

"So after you guys left, Rob and I settled the feud and I'm all better now!" Winnie smiled. Rory rolled her eyes. "What did you and Tristan do after you left? Oh and I must say that he is _hot_. Like flaming, boiling, steaming, electrifyingly hot." Rory grinned. She couldn't deny that.

"Well, this happened." She picked up her left hand and showed the ring. Winnie gasped and pulled Rory's hand closer to her.

"_No_! You're engaged?!" Rory nodded. Winnie jumped and yelled happily. After she yelled, she looked at Rory's ring.

"This is the most exquisite ring I've ever seen! Where did he get it?" Winnie asked in awe.

"England. It's from around the 1950s." Rory answered proudly.

"He must have paid like $7,000 for this thing." Winnie said as she nodded her head.

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me." Rory pouted.

"How did he do it?" Winnie asked excitedly, as she clapped her hands together.

"Well, I was upset because I missed him and so he made me coffee and then he asked me about love. Asked me if I believed in fate and true love. And then he said he did because he knew me. And then he got down on one knee and just…asked. And after I said yes, he smoothed my nerves over by promising me that he'd always love me." Rory said with her eyes half closed, remembering that part of the night. Winnie 'awed' and squealed.

"This is so amazing! I'm so happy for you." Rory smiled widely.

"Thank you."

"Is there some kind of secret meeting I wasn't invited too?" Mark asked looking at how close Rory and Winnie were. He continued rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I got engaged last night." Rory said happily and promptly showed Mark her ring.

"Wow that's nice. Wait, how did you get engaged? Don't you technically need your significant other to be there? Or was it like a videoconference over the Internet? Damn, our country keeps getting more and more anti-social." Mark ranted.

"Mark, Tristan—my now fiancé—he's working with Winnie's husband for the end of his program. When I went over Winnie's last night to sulk in my misery, he was there. _Voila_, we went back to my place and he proposed." Mark smiled and looked at her ring.

"Good taste." He nodded in approval.

"It's from the 1950s." She bragged.

"Seriously? What a tush. He couldn't get a ring made in the last 5 decades?" Mark scoffed.

"I thought it was nice." Rory said, looking at her ring. Winnie scowled at Mark.

"It is. Well, that's great, Ror." Mark replied uncomfortably. She nodded quickly.

"What's going on in here? I swear, the rest of the world could blow up and as long as you three were in the same place, you wouldn't even notice." Sven announced coming into her office. The three snickered.

"Rory got engaged last night!" Winnie said excitedly.

"What?" Sven asked.

"It's true, my boyfriend came back from England and he proposed to me last night." She said giddily.

"That's it, Gilmore leave!" Sven yelled. The three looked at each other bewildered.

"I'm sorry…_leave_?" Rory sputtered.

"Honestly Gilmore, you just got engaged and you're at _work_?" Sven asked in disbelief. Rory nodded, unsure of what Sven was talking about. "Do I need to spell it out for you? You get engaged, you take a day off. You have an anniversary, you take a few days off. You get married, you take a week off. You have a baby, you take a few months off. You die, you never come back. Get it?" Sven explained in his own special way.

"Kind of?" Rory shrugged.

"Work will be here when you get back, you must go spend your time now with those that you love." Sven said sweetly.

"He's sleeping right now. He's very jetlagged with the time change." She explained.

"That's probably not the only thing he's jetlagged from." Winnie muttered. Rory gasped and nudged Winnie.

"Either way, next time you follow the rules." Sven admonished. Rory nodded.

"Utelle, I'm sending you an article this afternoon. Let me know what you think of it." Sven said and left.

"He just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Mark whispered. The two nodded their heads in agreement.

"So, what happened after he proposed?" Winnie asked immediately.

"We had sex." Rory shrugged. Winnie clapped her hands.

"Sounds so romantic." She said dreamily.

"I forget what that's like. To finally know whom you're going to spend the rest of your life with. I mean I love Rob, but I'm married. There's no more excitement wondering who I'm going to marry." Winnie pouted.

"It's not that exciting." Mark said.

"Aww you'll find someone." Winnie said, patting on his shoulder.

"I think I found her." He said softly.

"Leslie?" Rory nudged Winnie. "Err, I mean Laura? Sorry." Mark sent a glare at Winnie for her slip-up.

"Yes. Maybe. I'm not sure yet." He said indecisively.

"When you know, you know. Trust me on that." Rory said wistfully. He nodded.

"Alright, I'll leave you and your rock to bond." Winnie said and gleefully clapped again before walking out. Mark muttered something and followed Winnie out.

Rory sighed and leaned her head on her hands. She dazed out for a few minutes before she shook herself from it and worked. Forcing herself to focus, she soon wrote without a thought. Three hours she looked up and rolled her neck, trying to get the kink out of it. Standing up, she exited her office for the break room. Upon entering it, she prayed the gods for the full pot of coffee. She quickly poured herself a cup and leaned against the counter, savouring every drop. She whimpered into her cup as the hot liquid scalded her throat but she kept drinking. She refilled her cup two more times before someone else came in. Rory recognized her. It was the woman who replaced the shopping writer many months before. She was petite and soft spoken. Everything she owned seemed to be designer brand. At least that's what it seemed like.

"Hi Rory." She said as she poured herself some coffee.

"Hi Marielle. How's the job going for you?" Rory asked kindly.

"It's a lot of work, but people are friendly. That's a good thing, right?" Marielle answered a bit unsure.

"Definitely." Rory nodded.

"My goodness. I almost forgot! There's this guy wandering around looking for you. He's blonde and tall. He's holding a paper bag." Marielle said suddenly.

"Tristan?" Her eyes lit up.

"Maybe, I don't know." She shrugged.

"Thanks!" Rory said and quickly exited. She went to her office, but he wasn't there so she weaved through the boxes of cubicles looking for him. No luck. She bit her lip and thought about where he could be.

"She was in her office. Not sure where she is now, sorry. You could check the break room. They have coffee." She heard suddenly.

"Ahh yes, where there's coffee, there's Rory." Rory's eyes widened when she heard his voice. She followed the sound of their voices. She saw Tristan standing there talking to Winnie.

"Ah there you are." Winnie said when she saw Rory. Rory smiled and looked at Tristan.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her smile getting bigger. He shrugged.

"I missed you." He said simply. They could hear Winnie 'awe'. Rory glared and Winnie giggled before leaving them alone. After Winnie left, Rory smiled and leaned up to give him a quick hello kiss.

"So this is your work." He said as she led him towards her office.

"Yup, this is where the _Boston Globe_ functions." He took a look around and nodded. He joined her in her office.

"Impressive." He was about to give her another kiss when someone ran in.

"Rory, oh thank god I found you. What the hell is this?" Rory looked up at the journalist who had a flabbergasted look on her face. She didn't even notice Tristan. Rory took the papers from her hand and looked them over quickly.

"Hmm, they look like promotion papers." She answered.

"No! They can't be. I can't be promoted. I'm only 21. This is an internship, not a job." Rory quirked an eyebrow.

"Look," she pointed at a paragraph. Tristan watched in fascination. "They're offering you a paid job. They must like your work." Rory explained. The girl finally took a deep breath.

"Wow." She sighed and finally noticed Tristan. "Oh! Hi! Sorry I interrupted. Do I go to Sven about this?" The newly promoted intern asked. Rory nodded and watched as the girl ran off. Many college students were off now for winter break so it wasn't odd to see younger people wandering around.

"That doesn't usually happen." Rory said to Tristan. He nodded and walked back over to her. Giving her a quick kiss he looked around her office briefly.

"I'm here because I wanted to take you to lunch." He said softly, just enjoying being near her. She grinned.

"Of course. Let me just get a little more work done and then we can go, okay? In fact, let me get about 15 minutes of work done and then I can leave for today." She said remembering Sven's words earlier.

"Are you sure?" He asked surprised. He knew how important her job was to her.

She winked. "Yea, I got yelled at for being here the day after I got engaged."

"Seriously?" He laughed.

"Yup, my boss is a whack job." She laughed back.

"Okay, get your work done. I'll just wander around your office." He said waving her off. She laughed and sat down at her computer as he walked over to her wall and read articles she'd written. About five minutes later both of their heads turned when they heard a body plop into a chair. It was Mark, of course.

"Can I help you?" Rory asked professionally.

"I am this close to bashing a whole in my cardboard cell." He held up his fingers to show an inch. Rory laughed.

"Why?"

"The stupid person next to me plays music all day. And yea, that's cool I love music, but _all_ they're listening to is High School Musical. I mean seriously, how much _We're All in this Together_ can one person take?" He grumbled. Tristan laughed. This was bizarre. He'd never seen such a lively office. Mark snapped his head up.

"How long has he been standing there?" He said looking at Rory from the corner of his eye.

"Mmm, about ten minutes." Rory responded. Mark nodded and stood up.

"And who might this be?" Mark asked. Rory groaned, knowing she wouldn't get any more work done. She saved everything and logged off her computer.

She stood up and smiled at the two men. "Ahh…my two favorite men. Mark, this is the man you called a tush." Tristan coughed and gave a strange look.

"I won't ask." Tristan said trying to hide his grin, at the sight of Mark's blush.

"Wise choice. Tristan, this is Mark. Jim's grandson." Rory said, finishing up the introductions.

"Ahh, great to meet you." Tristan said and shook his hand.

"How do you know my grandfather?" Mark asked.

"I'm actually his old doctor." Tristan explained.

"Dr. Dugrey?" Mark asked suddenly.

"That would be me." Tristan said chuckling softly.

"Wow, this is way too small of a world." Mark said in shock.

"Anyway Mark, here." She said as she handed Mark her keys.

"Why are you giving me these?" Mark asked in confusion.

"Tristan is taking me to lunch and then I'm going home. You're welcome to escape the show-tunes and work in here." She said patting him on the back.

"Thank you! You are a god, well goddess. You are the goddess of goddesses." He rambled as he bowed down in reverence. Rory chuckled and nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow Mark." She said as she gathered her things.

"Bye. Nice meeting you Tristan." Mark said to Tristan.

"You too." Mark watched as Rory walked out with Tristan, their hands joined.

"So where are we going?" Rory asked as they left her building.

"I want to see your city." Tristan said, lifting up their joined hands to kiss her knuckles.

"I would hardly call it _mine_, but _this_ is beautiful Boston." She said throwing her free arm out toward the city.

"It is beautiful." He said and took a deep breath.

"Can I ask you a question?" She looked up at him.

"I wish you would." He said sweetly.

"After we get…married, or even before. Now even. Where will we live? One of us will have to leave our job." She asked hesitantly.

"I can do my work anywhere." He told her.

"I know, but so can I." She said looking up at him.

"Where do you want to live?" He asked. They were interrupted by Rory's phone.

"Ugh, sorry." She looked at the caller id. "It's my mom."

"Go on." He prompted her. She smiled weakly and flipped open her phone.

"Rory Gilmore speaking, daughter of Lorelai Gilmore II also known as she-devil." Rory answered.

"You _are_ my daughter!" Lorelai called happily.

"What's up?" Rory asked, laughing.

"Well I know you're probably busy with work, _but_, I just wanted to tell you that I am currently on my way to see you." Lorelai responded cheerily.

"What?" Rory asked weakly.

"Try not to sound so excited." Lorelai deadpanned.

"No, I am…but why?"

"I _miss_ you, and I want to see my daughter!" Rory sent a look to Tristan. He lifted his eyebrows in question.

"When are you getting here?" Rory asked.

"Well I left about ten minutes ago, so…an hour and a half." Lorelai said looking at her watch.

"Alright, I'll see you then, mom." Rory said, hiding the defeat in her voice.

"Yes you will. I'll meet you at your work." Lorelai answered.

"I'm actually not at work." Rory responded in a hesitant voice.

"What? Why?"

"You'll see when you get here." Rory smiled.

"Are you sick?" Lorelai asked in concern.

"Quite the opposite." Rory chuckled.

"Ookay." Lorelai let her hesitance show through. "So I'll meet you at your apartment then?"

"Okay, sounds good. See you soon." She flipped her phone shut and let her head fall on Tristan's shoulder.

"My mom decided to come and visit me." Tristan laughed. He was used to Lorelai and knew Lorelai probably decided to make the trip ten minutes before she left.

"Well we can still grab something to eat." Tristan offered.

"She's meeting me at my apartment. Wait, my apartment smells like sex!" Rory looked horrified.

"Well…don't you think that when she sees me, she'll know? Especially when she knows we're engaged?" Tristan asked teasingly.

"While you make a very plausible point, the thought of my mother being able to smell it is kind of…horrific." Rory cringed. He kissed her temple.

"So you wanna pick something up and then go back and de-sex your pad?" He said, with a semi-serious face.

"You don't mind, do you?" She asked sheepishly. He shook his head.

"I haven't seen Lorelai in awhile. Plus, I want to be there when you tell her we're engaged." She smiled and him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I sure got lucky." She said with a southern drawl.

"Yes ma'am." He replied imitating her drawl, and tipping an imaginary hat. They made their way towards Rory's apartment decided what kind of take out to get along the way. They settled on Indian.

"Okay, grab that." Rory pointed to the laundry basket. He picked it up and followed her to the bedroom. She started to take the sheets off her bed. He dropped the basket and came behind her, pulling her against him.

"You know, it seems an awful waste not to take another romp while the sheets are still on the bed." He whispered seductively in her ear.

"Tristan! We can't. My mom will be here soon and we have work to do!" She pushed him away.

"Alright, alright, but I'm getting you later." He promised and helped her strip her bed. She left and came back with new sheets. In the midst, the window was opened and some air freshener was sprayed. They made the bed.

"Hey, can you deal with the food and I'll go throw these in the washer." He nodded and left for the kitchen. About 5 minutes later, she appeared in the kitchen and took a plate of the food. They sat at her counter-table and ate with minimal chatter. Within the next hour, dishes were washed, clothes were cleaned up, and piles of papers were made while the books found a nice spot in the corner of her room. Finally, when everything seemed to be nice, she plopped down onto her couch. Tristan laughed and joined her, lifting her upper body and then letting it go when he sat down so her head was resting on his lap.

"I know you don't want to tell me, but was the ring more than $10,000?" She asked.

"No." He answered.

"Was it more than $5,000?" She pushed.

"Yes." He answered again. She groaned.

"You must love me a lot to put that kind of money out." She whined.

"If the ring was more I would've still gotten it for you. I loved it _for_ you, I love it _on_ you, so it's worth it to me." He said seriously. She smiled up at him and let her hand caress his stubbly cheek.

"You didn't shave." She pointed out.

"No, not today. You like a little scruff, right?" She nodded.

"I think it's sexy." He smirked and rested his hand on her stomach.

"Lie down." He followed her orders as she lifted her head. He scooted down and lay parallel to her. She leaned back against him and turned the TV on. She ended up mostly on her back, with Tristan right above her. He peered down at her and kissed her.

"I can't help kissing you. I finally got the girl and I'm wired." He confessed. She giggled and ran a hand through his soft hair.

"You smell like flowers." She said, once again giggling.

"Well you don't exactly have anything else." He replied sarcastically. A smile stretched over her face.

"You used my shampoo?" She laughed. He nodded sheepishly.

"We're already like a married couple—sharing bathing supplies." She teased him.

"Shut up." That only made her laugh harder. He leaned down and kissed her deeply to cut off her laughing. She smiled against him and she moved her hand behind his head to pull him closer. There was a knock on the door.

"Your mom has bad timing." He murmured against her lips.

"Always did, always will." She said as they both sat up. She turned her ring so the stones were facing the inside. She didn't want that to be the first thing her mom noticed.

"Mom?" Rory asked.

"Rory!" Was heard through the door. Rory opened her door and immediately hugged her mom.

"Oh my baby! How are you? Tell me about your life." Lorelai said happily.

"Well, first I want to show you why I'm home." She shut the door behind her.

"Oh, right." Lorelai said, wanting to know what was going on.

"Let me just say that I went to work this morning, but left early when I got an invitation for lunch. We were actually on our way when you called." Rory explained.

"Okay, enough with the prepping. I wanna _know_!" They sat down on the couch.

"Tristan's here." Lorelai immediately felt Rory's head.

"You _are_ a little warm." Rory rolled her eyes and removed her mom's hand.

"I'm serious." Rory deadpanned.

"Hi Lorelai." Tristan called out from the corner he was standing in.

"My god, there he is. Come here and give me a hug!" Tristan laughed and hugged Lorelai tightly. "When did you get back?"

"About a week ago, but Rory and I just saw each other again last night." Tristan explained.

"Oh. I'm interfering with your plans!" Lorelai sat.

"Oh, Lorelai, it's fine. In fact Rory and I have all the time in the world to spend with each other." Tristan said with a knowing smile.

"Okay, I'm just going to pretend that wasn't laced with double meaning and say that's good because I wasn't leaving." Tristan and Rory laughed.

"So, what's been going on? How's your life?" Lorelai asked Rory again. Rory smiled brightly and reached out for Tristan. He came next to her as she played with the ring and turned it around.

"Tristan and I are engaged." One, two, three.

"OH MY GOD!" Lorelai jumped up and started screaming incoherent things and hugged the both of them at the same time squashing the three of them together.

"Any baubles?" She showed her mom her ring. Lorelai grabbed her hand as her jaw dropped.

"Wow. That is…_extraordinary_." Lorelai tapped her nail against the diamond to make sure it was real.

"I'm so happy!" She yelled out. Tristan and Rory smiled at each other. "They're going to be the cutest—your child—umm chilly. It's acutely chilly in here, huh?" Lorelai asked, catching herself. Rory noticed the slip up. She gave a weak smile. This was proving to be harder than she thought.

"You guys, you can say it. I won't break." Rory said softly. Tristan rubbed her back.

"We just know how hard it is for you, and of course it doesn't help when I go and say something like that." Lorelai said apologetically. Rory shrugged.

"I'm okay." She shrugged off Tristan's touch. "I'm just going to umm, bathroom." She pointed and quickly left for the bathroom. When they heard the door shut, they let out deep breaths.

"I'm sorry, Tristan, I didn't…" Lorelai began.

"It's okay." He put his hand up to stop her. "She's trying to deal with this."

"It's not for sure, you know that right?" He nodded.

"If she can't, that's okay. I just want her to be happy, you know? And if kids are involved that would be wonderful. If they aren't, we'll deal." Tristan said honestly. Lorelai agreed and gave him a quick hug.

"I know you'll take care of her. Logan might have been the best thing that happened to her."

"Well I wouldn't say that, but he definitely got Rory and I close again." A few moments later, Rory emerged. Her eyes were slightly red, the biggest indicator that she had cried. Lorelai hugged Rory tightly and told her it would be okay.

"I'm gonna take a walk, alright?" Lorelai asked. Rory nodded. Lorelai exited promptly.

"If…the…many…kids…" Tristan tried to get the words out but he wasn't sure how.

"Tristan, don't. It's okay. It's my issue not yours." She said, trying to placate him. He sighed and shook his head.

"See you're wrong. Especially now." He paused and looked at her. "Rory, we're _engaged_, planning on getting _married_, okay? This is just as much my issue as it is yours now. And it's not even an issue! I'm not going to lie to you, okay? You know I want children, but guess what? I'd rather have you." He said seriously.

"You say that now, but what about a few years from now? As I reach an age where it would be risky for any woman to have children." She asked.

"You're all I need. _Everything_ I need." He ran his hand down her arm and took both of her hands in his. He pulled her closer.

"When I asked you to marry me, I asked to marry all of you. To be with all of you, okay?" She nodded. He kissed her forehead and wrapped her in a warm, loving hug.

So as they talked it to death, even with Lorelai, after she returned, paths were cleared, doors reopened, and lives made possible. There was always something about that Isis.

**A/N: One more chapter (possibly two if I feel like being nice with an epilogue) left! Ermm, sorry this was delayed. I've actually had it ready but my beta was busy, busy and I'm not the only author she reads for. So we wait and get happy when my chapter is sent back and looks silky smooth. And I've already started on the next chapter. ****Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

sand-n-surfgurl93: So this is a late thanksgiving /early Christmas (Hanukah, Kwanzaa – whatever you celebrate) present. And I'm glad you like it. :0) Makes it more enjoyable to write!

Curley-Q

princetongirl

LoVe23: haha well thank you.

Kylie1403

Mongoose 187

kris


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident. Tristan goes to England for a medical program for 6 months, and has to leave Rory in the states.

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Twenty-Two:

_Briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing…._

Turn. Grumble. Sigh.

"Tristan, get it." Rory said, trying to hang on to sleep. She felt him shift.

"Hello?" He tried not to sound like he was just asleep but failed miserably. He glanced at the clock. 4:22 am.

"Tristan? Hi, everyone's okay. This is Rob." He started, making sure Tristan knew it wasn't an emergency.

"It's a little early for a casual conversation, Rob." He muttered.

"Right. Well, I'm just calling to say that Winnie just had the baby." Rob said cheerfully over the phone, practically shouting.

"Oh wow, congratulations!" He said sitting up, suddenly wide awake, jostling Rory in the process.

"Thanks. I would've called sooner, but her water broke at the house and everything happened so fast." Rob began to ramble.

"Not a problem. Well, congrats. Do you wanna say hi to Rory?" He said, hearing her grumbling.

"Yea, why not, now that I woke you both up." They both chuckled. Tristan passed the phone. Rory shook her head and turned.

"They know the rules. No calls before 11 on Saturday's." She pushed the phone away.

"Babe, I think you want to take this." Rory grumbled and turned over, grabbing the phone.

"Rob." She said, sounding completely unamused.

"Hey Rory. Again, sorry for calling so early, but I just wanted to let you guys know that Winnie just had the baby." She was quite awake now.

"Oh my god! That's great! When?" Exclaimed a suddenly lively Rory.

"About an hour ago. Her water broke at home, and she had the baby about five hours later." Rob said proudly.

"Wow, he didn't want to stay in there." She laughed excitedly.

"Seriously." He sighed, tiredly.

"Well, that's great! Congratulations, Dad." He groaned.

"I got a little while, until I'm officially named, 'dad'." Rory laughed.

"Thank you for calling. Can Tristan and I stop by later today or should we wait?" She asked eagerly

"Nah, I think you can come today. Shouldn't be a problem."

"Alright, well I'll see you in awhile then." She said, bouncing up and down on the bed.

"Yup."

"Thanks for calling!"

"Sure." She handed the phone back to Tristan, now fully awake.

"Well that was a nice way to start the morning. What time is it? Seven? I can almost deal with that." She said cheerfully.

"Ha, you wish. It's 4:30." An immediate groan came out of her mouth as she dug her head into her pillow and scooted closer to the warmth of Tristan.

"I would've been perfectly happy hearing about it a few hours from now." She grumbled.

"No you wouldn't." He laughed, pulling her closer to him and snuggling with her.

She sighed. "Yea, I wouldn't." scrunched her nose and only a few minutes later, they both fell back asleep.

"Hurry up!" She yelled.

"Mary, if you pull any harder my arm will tear off." He tried to slow her pace down. It did little good.

"But I'm excited!" She exclaimed, not slowing her pace.

"The baby won't look any different ten minutes from now. What will look different is my shoulder because my arm won't be there anymore." She slowed her pace just slightly, but it was enough. "Thank you."

They walked hand-in-hand into the neo-natal wing in search of Winnie's room. "This is it." Rory pointed at the tag that was outside the room. She knocked on the door softly before opening it. Stepping into the room, they saw Winnie sleeping. Rob turned and immediately smiled. He stood up and ushered them out of the room.

"Sorry you caught her sleeping." He said in a hushed tone.

"It's fine, how's the baby?" She asked.

"Healthy. They should be bringing him in soon. He needs a feeding, I think. I don't know, ask me how to do a surgery and I could give you enough details to tell you what to do over the phone; ask me about babies and I'll tell you they poop and cry." Tristan laughed in agreement.

"Any names yet?"

"Nah, nothing's finalized yet. We're between a few."

"Like what?" Rory prompted.

"Aidan Matthew, Jackson Aidan, Matthew Nicholas or Nicholas Jackson."

"There's some variety." Rory said, half joking. Rob smiled.

"Well, we wanted to cover all four of our grandfathers. Now we just have to decide which two we liked best." They laughed.

"Come on, I'll wake up Winnie. She's been out for awhile now." Before either Tristan or Rory could protest, he was already heading into the room.

"Winnie, babe. Wake up." She slowly stirred. When she saw Rory, she smiled.

"Hey." She said groggily.

"Hey. How do you feel?" Rory said happily, giving her friend a hug.

"Like my vagina was ripped in half." Winnie said seriously. Rory cringed.

"Well, while I thank you for the visual, I'm glad to see you haven't lost your wit." Rory deadpanned. Winnie smiled widely.

"Have you seen him yet?"

"Not yet." Just then a nurse came in wheeling a basket. Rory looked in and her heart fluttered when she saw the baby lying there peacefully. She tapped Tristan. He wrapped his arm around Rory and squeezed her gently.

"Hi, I'm Nurse Trope. Do you have any children at home?" Winnie and Rob shook their heads.

"Alright, I'm going to ask the visitors to leave while we do this then." Rory smiled and walked out with Tristan.

"Pretty baby, huh?" Rory said.

"Yea, he looks special." She smiled and looked at the ground. He took her hand in his and squeezed it. About ten minutes later, the nurse exited and told them they could go in. Winnie was holding the baby in her arms with Rob at her side.

"We've decided." Winnie announced.

"On what?" Rory asked.

"His name will be Aidan Matthew." Winnie proudly exclaimed.

"I like it." Rory walked over to the bed.

"Me too." Winnie looked at the baby.

"Do you want to hold him?" Winnie asked.

"Oh, me?" Rory looked surprised. "Yea." Winnie smiled and gently handed the blanket-wrapped baby to Rory. She sat down on the bed to make sure she had a firm hold.

Tristan leaned against the wall and watched as his fiancé of 2 months cradled the baby. As he watched her, he felt a small twang in his stomach. Putting on a smile, he kicked the feeling away. But as she made faces at the baby, the feeling became stronger and wouldn't cease.

Looking down at the angelic face of the newborn, she couldn't help but wish he were hers. A baby to call her own, perhaps. He was beautiful. She felt her stomach hollow. She pushed it away and made faces at the angel, hoping to cover her feelings. She wasn't sure if it worked. All she knew was that the look on Tristan's face couldn't be one she could produce on her own.

About an hour later, they left. Once they were in the car, she sighed and closed her eyes. When they got back to the apartment, she immediately went to make coffee. Tristan plopped onto the couch. About 5 minutes later, and three cups of coffee later, Rory worked up her nerves.

"Tristan." She stood in front of him. Upon seeing her face, he sat up.

"Yea, baby?" Rory shuddered. Out of all the things, he called her _that_. Perfect.

"I want you to be happy." She said closing her eyes. He pulled her down.

"I am happy." He said seriously.

"Now you are." She replied, opening her eyes to look at him.

"Which means I won't be in the future?" He scoffed.

"Yes." She nodded. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Come on, I saw your face today." She said, mirroring the look he gave her.

"You see my face all the time." He said teasingly, hoping she'd drop it.

"No, I saw the face you made when I was holding the baby." She said looking down at her hands.

"And…?"

"And…" She took a deep breath as the tears came. She hated how emotional she'd become over this. "And I can't be with you." Halt. Stop. Excuse me?

"Woah, what are you talking about?" He said suddenly.

"Today was a smack in the face. I thought I was okay with this, but I'm not. You're right; I've been selfish throughout this whole thing. I haven't thought about you, not really. We can't be together because I can't put you through this. I know how much having a baby you can call your own means to you. Sure we could adopt, but that's not the same."

He tried to cut her off, but she kept going. "I can't be with you because of how much I want this. Because every time I look at you, all I want to do is make a baby with you." His heart swelled. "I'm sorry." She pulled away from him and started to go. His quick reflexes made him able to catch her by the wrist.

"No." His tone halted her. This tone was new, different. She turned. "You know what, Rory? _This. Is. Bull_. A baby is not _everything_! You are a healthy woman. There are people out there who have cancer and can't have children. People die _everyday_ and you can't marry me because you're afraid that you not being able to have kids is going to hurt me? This is shit, and you know it. You're just scared that people will ask, people will judge." Something in her broke. "I think I've been pretty good about this and easing your fears, but god. I can't do it forever! What kind of life is that? If you're happier not being with me, Rory, fine. I'll leave. But if you want to break this off because you're afraid of the future, I won't allow it. But if this is how it's going to be, then I don't want it. You make me feel like I'm not good enough for you! Well am I? Am I not good enough that you need a baby to make everything okay?" His eyes burned into hers. He broke their stare. He softened his tone.

"Don't make me do this, _please_. Don't make me beg." He looked at her broken stance. He kissed her forehead. "I'll be in the bedroom." He walked out, leaving her to herself and her thoughts. It was time to visit someone.

"Tristan, I'm going for a walk." She heard a mutter in reply and swiftly left grabbing the car keys on her way out. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she knew where she was going. Maybe it was because her grandparents were society? Either way, she didn't bring nearly what she needed for a trip of this magnitude. But she pushed the thoughts away and thought about what this encounter would entail.

"Rory?" Tristan called. It'd been 2 hours and still no sign of her. Sighing, he picked up his phone and went to call her when he saw he had a message.

"_Hi, Tristan. If you're listening to this, it's probably because you were worried about me—at least I hope. Anyway, I'm not actually taking a walk. That just seemed like the best thing to say without you asking questions. I'm on my way to New York. I know, I know. Why? I'll tell you when I get back. I just…I'm afraid. And I think this is what I need to do to move on. I need closure. So, I'm sorry Tristan. I love you so much, and I hope you will forgive me. See you soon."_

"New York?" He said to himself. He didn't know anyone in New York.

"You're a fool, Rory. A damned fool." She said, swaying side to side outside the apartment door. She'd knocked a few seconds ago, but still nothing. A moment later, she knocked again, harder.

"I'm coming!" She heard through the door. Just the voice she wanted to hear.

"Rory?" She gave her best smile.

"Logan." She said calmly.

"I umm…wow. Long time no see." He said nervously.

"Yea, are you busy?" She said, giving him an overly cheerful smile.

"Well, I…umm—no." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Can I come in?" She said, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone else was with him.

"Oh, yea." He moved aside and let her in.

"How've you been, Logan?" She asked, turning to him.

"Pretty good. Doing the newspaper thing. Got a girl." He said trying to hide his surprise by being casual.

"You?" He asked.

"Yea, me too." She looked at her ring. She turned it so the diamond was facing inward. "Boy. I have a boy. Not a girl." Come on, Rory. Stop being nervous! He nodded.

"So what are you doing here? How did you find me?" Logan asked, looking at her, as though he would find the answers somewhere on her.

"You're society, Logan. Everyone knows everything." She said nonchalantly.

"Fair enough. So I haven't seen you since well…"

"Since I told you I was pregnant about 5 years ago." She stated.

"Yea." He let out a breath. "How is that now?" Rory felt insulted.

"Well, if you'd like to know, you don't have a child." She gritted out, trying to stay calm.

He let out a sigh of relief. "So you got an abortion?"

"No, I fell down the stairs and lost the baby." He was making this easy for her.

"Are you here to tell me that I don't have a child?"

"No. In fact, I don't know why I'm here." She said, tersely. "No, wait. Actually, I do. I'm here for closure."

"Oh?" He looked amused.

"You caused a lot of rifts between Tristan and I back in the day and every time he tried to protect me from you I defended you. Why I did is beyond me, but I did. You got me pregnant and asked me to get an abortion. I fell down the stairs and you couldn't even _bother_ to show up and visit me. He said you wouldn't come, but why would I believe him? Why would I believe my _best friend_? Well fine, you don't have a kid. Are you happy things worked out in your favor?"

"I…" He was shocked by her attitude. This was not the same timid girl he once dated.

"It worked to your favor so well that I might not be able to have children. And you know what kills me? I was pregnant with someone's baby who didn't even want it. And now, when I'm with someone who would kill to be able to redeem his own parents through raising his own children, I can't even have stupid children. Funny how that works, huh?" She said, her voice now growing progressively louder.

"Rory…" He said, trying to calm her down.

"What about this new girlfriend? Is that what she is?" She yelled.

"I'm his wife." The two turned their heads at the new voice. A woman was standing there, holding a few bags. Ironically, she was pregnant. "Who are you?"

"Doesn't really matter, does it?" Rory mumbled, not believing what she was seeing.

"Abbie this is Rory, we know each other from college." Logan supplied.

"I see. I'm going to get the rest of the bags." She said, sensing the tense environment.

"I see she's pregnant. What if she was pregnant when you guys were still dating?" Rory asked.

"Well that would be impossible. She was on the pill." Logan stated.

"Well, we clearly know from me that it's not 100 effective." Rory stated sarcastically.

"She wouldn't have gotten pregnant, Rory." He reiterated firmly.

"Fine, in real life she couldn't get pregnant. In an alternate universe, she got pregnant. What would you have you done?" She asked, not letting it go.

"What do you want me to say, Rory?" Logan finally yelled.

"The truth! Would you have asked her to get an abortion, too?" She shouted, not backing down.

"Probably." He muttered.

"You're an ass, Logan. Tristan would do anything to have a baby, and you're all, 'oh, let's kill the baby because I'm not married yet so I don't have any responsibilities whatsoever'. It's a _baby_, Logan."

"I wasn't ready to have a fucking baby. Okay?" Rory looked at him stunned. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears. A few fell anyway.

"And I was? I was _22_, and I came to you for support and you threw me away. What kind of person does that?" Her last few words ended in a whisper.

"What the hell do you want from me, huh? Do you want me to turn back time and put a stupid guardrail on the stairs so you wouldn't have fallen? So you would've gotten your baby?" Logan shouted.

"How dare you! I wanted a boyfriend who cared enough about me to visit me in the hospital! I almost _died_, and you couldn't visit me?"

"I had other things to do." He said, looking away from her.

"You're pathetic." She laughed.

"Why, because I didn't want kids back then?"

"No, because you get everything that you want when us wee folk can't and you don't even appreciate it. Do you even appreciate the child your wife is carrying?" He didn't say anything. Just then, Abbie walked back in. She looked between the two of them confused.

"What's going on?" She asked, completely confused by the situation.

"Logan doesn't deserve that baby. I'm sorry for you. I'm sorry for your baby. And I'm sorry that the only baby I could've had was with Logan and he wanted it aborted." She turned her direction to Logan. "As for you, thank you for making me realize what an amazing person Tristan is. _Thank you_ for letting me move on. Thank you…for making me realize I have everything I really want. Someone who loves me. Someone who cares. And someone who wants to marry me with all the good _and_ the bad." Rory nodded at him and let her gaze down to the floor. "So, that's it. Have a _great_ life, Logan." And she left. She left him and his wife, who was left looking at Logan appalled. She swiftly walked down the hall. As she was waiting for the elevator, she heard footsteps. Abbie was quickly following her.

"He wanted me to get an abortion and we're _married._ Of course, his dad found out and convinced him it was good for business. So here I am, pregnant." Abbie shook her head. "I don't know what he did to you, but I hope you're happier than I am. Whoever Tristan is, he seems like a good guy. And for your sake, I hope whatever gods are mad at you forgive you. A baby is all I really need. It'll keep me happy. I'll have love somewhere in my otherwise loveless marriage. Good luck, Rory." Rory stared at this woman. She was clearly very smart, but somehow, was caught in this marriage.

"Thank you. I wish you luck with your baby. Take care, Abbie. He's just too immature and for that, I hope your baby grows up to be you. Not him." Abbie gave a small smile and nodded. She placed her hand on Rory's shoulder.

"Good luck with everything." She said sincerely.

"You too." Rory replied gratefully. The elevator dinged and the doors closed behind her. On her way home, Abbie's words kept going through her mind.

"_A baby is all I really need. It'll keep me happy. I'll have love somewhere in my otherwise loveless marriage." _

She had Tristan. She knew that even without a baby her marriage would be better than Abbie's. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to need a baby just so she could feel love. And then she made her decision.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

"Coming!" He opened the door and breathed in relief. "There you are."

"Here I am." She replied, as she walked through the door. He shut the door behind her.

"New York?" He asked immediately. Subtlety be damned.

"I'm sorry, Tristan. For the way I acted, everything. I went to see Logan." She wished she could've saved this memory forever. The look he had on his face was incomprehensible.

"Why the hell would you go there?" He said, trying not to sound too angry, but the thought of Rory seeing Logan really upset him.

"He's married. His wife, Abbie, she's pregnant. He wanted her to get an abortion, but then realized having a wife and a baby would be good for business. She told me having a baby would be the only thing in her marriage that resembled love. I don't know what that's like, thankfully. Because you've always been so good to me. You've always cared. And…while I want a baby, I'm already happy. Mostly. I have an amazing family, everything. But most of all, I have you. And that's all _I've_ really ever wanted." She said, putting all the love she felt for him in her words. He licked his lips.

"It feels really good to hear that, Rory." He sighed in relief.

"You're worth everything to me. If I can't have anything else in this world, at least I'd have you." A soft smile appeared on his face.

"You will, and you know what? We'll try. We can try every night if you'd like. We can even practice now if you want." He said, waggling his eyebrows at her. That made her laugh.

"How about tonight? The whole shebang. Candles, chocolate…" She said, seductively, trying to entice him. He didn't look satisfied. "…Whipped cream?" She added with a raised brow.

"Ahh, there's the deal breaker." He said with a big smile. She couldn't help but smile back.

"I love you, Tristan." She said softly.

"I love you too, Rory. So, so much." He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down, placing a warm, coaxing kiss on her lips. She slid her hands around his neck and pulled closer, rubbing his tongue with hers. He moaned into her mouth and pulled her closer, rubbing her butt and squeezing. She felt herself becoming wet as his erection rubbed against her center.

"I lied. Let's do it now." She said against his lips. He chuckled. He walked backwards towards the couch and fell back on it, bringing Rory with him. She straddled his waist, leaning down and grinding against him.

She lifted up so he could unbutton his pants and she could unbutton and pull her own down. Once she got rid of her pants and underwear, she came back and pulled Tristan's down too, letting his penis lift up fully. He watched as she gently kissed the tip and nuzzled it with her nose.

He gasped in pleasure and pulled her up to him. Smiling, she leaned down to capture his lips, mashing them together. He groaned against her as he felt himself go harder when she ground herself against him again. This time with no barriers. He moved his hand down to feel her wetness, and bucked up bringing himself inside her.

She let out a gasp and moan combined in surprise at his length. She came down on his hips and lifted up on her own, setting the pace. She rocked back and forth a few times before he brought his hands on her hips and pulled her down harder and faster.

He felt her walls start to tremor. Keeping one hand on her hips, he brought the other to her clit, stroking in pace with her hips.

"Oh god, mm. I need…" She moaned in ecstasy.

"Uhh, tell me what you need, baby." He grunted.

"Please, uhh, more." She groaned, unable to form words properly.

"More what? Tell me." He insisted.

"More, harder." Applying more pressure to her clit, he pulled down on her hip firmly and at the same time bucked up hard.

"Oh, oh god." She called out in pleasure as she fell hard. He kept bucking, riding out her waves as he lifted once more spilling himself. They watched each other's chests rise and fall rapidly. She pulled him out and settled on top of him.

"I have never orgasmed so hard in my life." She stated, breathing heavily.

"I know, I could feel it." He said, moving her hair out of her eyes.

"How about you?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Amazing, but I wanted to get you off hard. Relieve some of that stress." He rubbed her back.

"Thank you for putting up with me. I didn't realize what I was doing. And it wasn't right." She said apologetically.

"No, it wasn't. But it's okay. I'm just glad you figured everything out." She nodded against his chest, then leaned up and kissed him. They remained that way in silence. "How about some music?" She nodded against his chest. He reached for the remote and clicked it on. Soft tunes floated out of the system.

See my feet on the ground

But it feels like the worlds gravity drowned

When I'm with you I'm high

Instead of hiding my face

My minds in your eyes

Can your love embrace

Me as I am

In the silence you stare at the world

Your eyes are screaming to be heard

I want to learn you inside out

Time isn't on our side

All we have now

For the rest of our lives

Let's stay up all night

In the silence you stare at the world

Your eyes are screaming to be heard

I want to learn you inside out

All that changes is time

Can't keep you inside of me

You're out of my mind

I wear you on my sleeve

In the silence you stare at the world

Your eyes are screaming to be heard

I want to learn you inside out

I see all that you want to be

Look into your soul

Looking right back at me

I want to learn you inside out

She snuggled against him. "Bath?" She murmured.

"Now?" He asked.

"Yea, you said you were trying to relieve some of my stress. Baths are wonderful. Plus, I'll be totally naked." She said enticingly, as she slid against his penis, bringing it back up.

"Mm, how can I say no to that?" he groaned. She grinned and pulled him up. He smacked her bare ass, leaving her to squeal and run ahead getting the bath ready. He shook his head and laughed. God he loved that girl.

Isis continued to peer down, nodding in approval. Who knew? Maybe something miraculous would happen.

**A/N: ONE chapter left! AHH. And it's going to be an epilogue. Anyway, I'm done the next chapter so it'll be up shortly. Probably next weekend, but maybe sooner! Umm so yea, this chapter didn't exist but then I thought I was skipping into the future too much and needed to add this in to clear up some stuff. Anyway, ****Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.**

**LEGAL NOTE: The song is NOT mine! It's "Learn You Inside Out" by Lifehouse. It is NOT mine!**

Zazalee: I'm sorry! Lol. The next one is done so it'll be up soon! Promise.

cl06

Lisa: All in good time. :0)

amie

Spreeaholic1

katielyn

Mongoose 187

Kylie1403

princetongirl

LoVe23

FairyGirl03: Hahaha, it's my favorite line in the WHOLE story. I don't know what inspired me to write it but it's funny!

Curley-Q

slightly423psychotic

kris: Hehe, I thought it was a nifty twist.

sand-n-surfgurl93: I decided to do one more before the epilogue. So one more left! Yay! I hope people find there's enough closure.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

Everlasting Cloud

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.

Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident. Tristan goes to England for a medical program for 6 months, and has to leave Rory in the states.

A BAZILLION and EIGHT thank yous to my beta, Love23, who has been amazing this whole time! I forget to thank her last time, but if it weren't for her, there wouldn't of been a chapter before this. Just this. So thank you SO much and I hope we continue to work together. :0)

Please enjoy, and thank you!

Chapter Twenty-Three:

She'd been home for a few hours by the time Tristan got back from work. After moving back to Hartford after they were married, Rory changed jobs and Tristan had easily landed a job back at Redding Hospital. Although it wasn't very surprising, after all, his uncle _did_ have some power.

Although the Twickham house had sold before, by some miracle, the house was put up for sale the _weekend_ before Rory and Tristan went house shopping. Taylor didn't seem to bat an eye when he told them it was for sale. Lorelai had her thoughts that Taylor kicked the previous tenants out to make room for the beloved princess of Stars Hollow. Of course, Tristan thought it was all very funny.

Rory looked at the clock. It was after 7 pm, and tonight was important. Although she wanted to wait, she'd gotten too hungry and ate without him. Finally, she heard the door open.

"Babe, I'm home!" He called out. A smile spread on her face as she went to meet him at the door. He was carrying a folder in his hands, which he quickly put down upon seeing Rory. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her soundly. She pulled away, staying in his arms.

"How was your day?" He asked.

"Alright, I'm glad today's Friday. I need a little space from work." She sighed, enjoying being in his arms. He gave her a worried look.

"You work too hard, baby. I've worked 18-hour shifts and you're _still_ awake writing when I get home." She shrugged.

"I'm just trying to show them I'm not some dud." She grumbled. He didn't know what to say.

Thinking it over, he settled on the words he thought best. "You're not a dud, you can show that to them without pulling all-nighters multiple times a week. Plus…you know what the doctors said." Rory shifted her gaze downwards. She was hoping he wouldn't come back to that. But after all, it'd only been a month since the visit.

After much debate, Tristan finally got Rory to agree to get tested to see if she could have children. To their displeasure, the results were inconclusive. While she showed no actual signs of being able to carry a child, she was still ovulating. This baffled the doctors. Their only advice was just to keep trying. If nothing happened in a year, they should come back.

"Get plenty of rest or it'll never happen." She said on autopilot. He nodded and rubbed her side.

"Hey, cheer up frowny face." He said, lifting her face up to look at him. She smiled.

"Are you hungry?" She asked.

"I'm okay. I had a bite on a break a couple of hours ago." She threaded his fingers through hers and held them on her stomach.

"Can we try tonight?" She asked meekly. He grinned.

"Yea, baby. Come on." He said, eagerly pulling her towards their room.

"It hasn't happened yet?"

"No. I've been on birth control though, so maybe that's why." Rory said to Winnie on the phone.

"Could be. It took 5 months until it happened for me after I got off of it." Winnie explained.

"I just don't want to wait any longer, you know? I told Tristan I was going to buy a test today, so of course I'll have to break his bubble." Rory sighed.

"Aww hun, well the good news is that they didn't say you _couldn't_ have kids." Winnie said, trying to put a positive spin on things.

"But they didn't say I could either." Winnie heard Rory sigh.

"Just…keep trying I guess."

"Rory, I'm home!" Tristan called out.

"Crap, Tristan just got home." Rory groaned and looked at the clock. He was home early.

"Alright, sweetie. Be good and let me know."

"I will and thanks." She hung up and got up to meet Tristan who gave her a semi hopeful look. With a minor shake of her head, he got his answer. He shrugged.

"We'll keep trying." He reached out to her and gave her a hug.

"I feel as if I'm failing you." She said, only with higher spirits. He laughed.

"Nah, you're not. Come on, let's get some food, hmm?" She nodded eagerly.

"Babe?" Tristan gently shook her. She mumbled in her sleep. "I'm leaving, okay?"

"Kay." He laughed softly and kissed her forehead before heading out. A few hours later, Rory jumped up and ran to the bathroom. She made it to the toilet just in time to gag and to feel acid from her stomach burning her throat on its way out. She frowned and as she came away from the toilet, a sudden bout of nausea sent her back. Feeling slightly better, she got up and called her mom.

"Dragonfly Inn, this is Michel speaking."

"Hi Michel, can I talk to my mom, please?"

"I am not you're messenger." He said in his usual haughty voice.

"No, but you are paid to answer the phone." She deadpanned.

"Lorelai has a cell phone, no?" he asked, looking at his fingernails.

"Michel, please? I just threw up." She said, knowing he would give in.

"Eww." She heard the phone drop. A moment later, Lorelai picked it up.

"Rory, what's wrong? Michel just told me you threw up." Lorelai asked in concern.

"Yea, I called work and said I wasn't coming in. Can you come over?" Rory asked sounding like a little girl.

"Sure honey. Give me 10 minutes, okay?" Lorelai answered.

"Okay."

"Can I bring you anything?" Rory thought for a moment.

"Actually you can. You can bring me a pregnancy test." Rory heard Lorelai gasp and then the phone went dead. 20 minutes later, Lorelai was knocking on the door.

"I bought six different ones." She said and showed them to Rory. "Aw babe, you look terrible."

"I _feel_ terrible." She was still in her PJs.

"Alright, you go do these. I'll wait out here." Rory nodded and returned a few minutes later.

"I only did four. The timer will ring when they're done." She plopped down next to her mom. Lorelai nodded and wrapped her arm around Rory. Lorelai turned on the TV. When the timer went off, Rory jumped.

"I guess this is it." Rory breathed. She gave Rory an encouraging smile. Moments later she returned.

"Well?"

"They're all negative." Rory said frustrated. Lorelai frowned.

"It's okay, sometimes, it just doesn't happen." Rory didn't look convinced. Rory went to lie down on the couch. Lorelai sat there, stroking her hair.

"Wanna go to Luke's?" She asked, trying to console her daughter.

"No." Rory pouted.

"Okay, well I have to go back, okay? I have to tour this couple at 11. What time does the husband get home today?" Lorelai asked, looking at her watch.

"Three." Rory mumbled.

"Think you can sleep till then?" She shrugged.

"I feel like crap." Lorelai nodded and came back holding a bottle of anti-nausea medicine.

"Take some of this, okay? I'll have my phone on me in case anything happens. I hate to leave you like this, but you picked a bad day to get sick, kiddo." Lorelai said, lightly. Rory nodded.

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Thanks for coming over, mom." She said, giving her mother a brave smile.

"Anytime, babe." Lorelai kissed her forehead and took the medicine bottle away after Rory took some of it. "I'll call you later." Lorelai said and left. Within 20 minutes, Rory fell fast asleep. The only time she woke up was when she ran to the bathroom to throw up again. As she threw up, she recognized the bright red liquid as the anti-nausea medicine she'd taken a half hour earlier. How Ironic. Feeling better, she went back to the couch to fall asleep.

About four hours later, and still conked out, Tristan came back. He was about to drop his bag on the floor when he saw Rory sleeping on the couch. Deciding not to wake her, he gently put his bag down and made a quick stop in the bathroom. What he saw made him freeze. While Rory threw away the tests, the boxes were sticking out of the small trashcan. He gripped the sink and breathed deeply. He walked back out and sat down on the couch. When she felt the couch dip, she started to stir. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Tristan.

"Hi." She said weakly.

"Hey. What are you doing home?" He asked, brushing away the hair from her face.

"Didn't feel well." She said with a small pout. He nodded.

"I saw the tests." Her face paled.

"I woke up this morning and threw up, so I had my mom bring over some tests. I took four, they were all negative. I had some medicine and I threw that up too." He sighed in relief and nodded.

"Do you think you have the flu?" He asked, feeling her forehead. She shrugged.

"It's possible."

"Okay, sleep some more. I'm going to run out and get some stuff for you, okay?" She nodded slightly. He kissed her temple and stood up, letting her fall asleep again.

"Alright, how I can I help you today?" the doctor asked taking a seat in the rolling office chair.

"Well lately I've been very moody—more so than usual which is scary because I'm usually overwhelmed by mood swings and…"

"Alright, mood swings. What else?" He asked, cutting off her ramblings.

"Yes…and nausea too. Not all the time, but when I do, it comes full force." The doctor continued to write notes as Rory listed her symptoms. "I'm not sure, but also…well, I don't know…" She trailed off, wringing her hands.

"And also what?" The doctor pressed.

"I'm also late." The doctor gave Rory a smile and nodded. He pushed away from the desk and folded his hands on his lap.

"So let me take a guess. You want a pregnancy test?" Rory let out a breath and nodded quickly. He stood up and led Rory out of the room. After giving her the test, he brought her back to the room. "The results should be done in a little bit. You're more than welcome to grab a magazine or two from the waiting room to read while you wait."

"I actually have a book." She said, sheepishly pulling out a thick volume. "I never leave the house without one." She defended herself.

"Alright, well I will see you in a bit." He said, smiling.

"Okay." Rory said and opened to the bookmarked page after he shut the door behind himself. She tried to focus on the words before her, but her attention was failing her. She resignedly put the book away and took out an article she had to edit. She got about a 1/4 through it before she had to start over again to try to absorb the words. Once again no luck. So she sat there, idly thinking. Weighing the pros and cons.

Tristan had no idea she was here. Although they'd been married for a year and a half, the topic of children had always been a touchy subject. Tristan didn't want to pressure or upset her and Rory didn't want to disappoint him. She knew how he'd feel about the news if she was in fact pregnant, but the likelihood that she was, was low and she didn't want to excite Tristan for nothing. Although they'd been trying for a baby, nothing had happened yet.

She was in the middle of her internal rant when the doctor knocked on the door and entered. His face was expressionless. "Well?" She asked, impatiently.

"The test came out negative." Rory nodded and looked at her hands.

"So all of those symptoms…?"

"Well, I would blame it all on stress. You probably have been eating a lot of sugary foods and maybe haven't had much sleep. Anything can cause a missed or late period. As for the moodiness, I'd say you're tired. And the nausea could be from lack of a good diet or sleep deprivation." The doctor explained apologetically. She nodded.

"Does this happen a lot?" She asked, timidly.

"Does what happen a lot?

"Thinking you're pregnant, but you're actually not?" She sighed.

He took a minute to think about it. "I would say that 1/5 of the women who come in here thinking they're pregnant aren't. As I said before, stress can affect the body in many ways. Fatigue, nausea, headaches, moodiness, lack of or increased appetite, a missed period and so on. Especially nowadays because women work much more than they used too. The pressures of work life are affecting women now too." Rory nodded.

"I fell down the stairs about 8 years ago and they said I might not be able to carry a child anymore because of the damage." Rory blurted out. He gave her a surprised look.

"Well, if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to do some tests to find out for sure. Of course, there are always other ways to get pregnant. Artificial insemination, in-vetro fertilization." Pause. "Would you like me to do some tests?"

"I've been tested and they couldn't prove I could have children and they couldn't prove I couldn't. They said I should try and to come back in a year if nothing happened." She said shrugging.

"Fair enough. Call me anytime if you have any questions." The doctor replied honestly, feeling sorry for her.

"I will." She slid off the examination table and thanked him before leaving, despite the heavy feeling weighing her down.

It was for that very memory of failure that she felt dumb for sitting there, waiting for the doctor to enter. Within a few days of everything calming down at work, she no longer had any of the previously described symptoms. Plus her period came only three days after her last appointment. So she sat there, four months later, only now had the symptoms returned and work had been pretty relaxed and stress free. The doctor walked in and nodded to her.

"Good morning."

"Good morning." She repeated.

"Twice in four months. I must be doing _something_ right." This made Rory smile. "What's up?"

"Well, last time I came I had all of these pregnancy symptoms—only I wasn't pregnant so we chocked it up to bad nutrition and stress." He nodded in remembrance. "Well work has been pretty stress-free lately and all of the symptoms have come back."

"List the signs for me again." The doctor asked routinely.

"Umm moodiness, nausea, fatigue, missed period, let's see…oh…and my boobs hurt." Her cheeks reddened. The doctor smiled at her and again proceeded with the test.

"I'd let you get a magazine to read while you wait, but I remember that last time you brought a book with you." He chuckled.

Rory smiled. "Actually, today I didn't. You said it takes awhile to get results, right?" He nodded. "I'll be waiting here." She replied easily. He nodded and left.

She brought a few magazines from the waiting room to her exam room and started reading the tabloids. Something about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. She got through 1 1/2 magazines before she was interrupted from reading. She looked up and immediately put the magazine away as the doctor shut the door behind himself. He was holding a folder and a bag in his hand.

"Well?" She asked calmly, clearly thinking the results were negative once again.

"Well…it's positive, you're pregnant. Congratulations, Rory." The doctor replied happily.

Her jaw dropped and immediately the tears fell. The doctor looked and mistook her happy tears for tears of sadness.

He sputtered. "You know, there are plenty of options. Adoption is great, and maybe you'd consider that…"

"What? No! I'm keeping my baby!" She yelled, cutting off his rant. He cringed at her outburst.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Usually I have women crying when the baby is unwanted." He replied sheepishly.

"No, this baby is very much wanted. I just wasn't sure if I was fertile or not." She paused and jumped off the table and hugged the doctor tightly. "Thank you." She whispered.

He laughed good-naturedly. "Don't thank me! Thank your body and your husband. All I did was confirm it."

Rory nodded. "Even so, thank you."

He nodded. "You're welcome. Now, here's a folder of pregnancy information and a handy FAQ sheet. Of course you're welcome to call at anytime if an unanswered question arises." He offered. She nodded wiping away the last of her tears. "This bag is just filled with little knickknacks. Mostly free samples. Let the receptionist know that you want an obstetrics appointment. She'll find you a time."

"Great. I'll see you later." She replied, feeling happier than she'd felt in months.

"Yes, you will." He laughed, her giddiness rubbing off on him. She exited with a spring in her step—until she wondered if it was causing the baby any pain. Then she just walked normally. She set up her next appointment and left, not even thinking as she drove to Redding Hospital. She quickly entered the front door and walked over to the check-in desk.

"Hi, may I help you?" The nurse asked warmly.

"Yea, can you tell me where Dr. Tristan Dugrey is right now?" Rory asked eagerly.

"Let's see…" She ran her finger down a list. "Ahh he should be currently in the Children's wing." How…appropriate. Rory nodded a thanks and hustled down the halls, following the directional signs. She knew she was in the right place because all of a sudden colors blossomed on the walls in the forms of animals. Stuffed animals were everywhere, and window stickers adorned every glass surface. She walked up to the desk.

"Where's Dr. Dugrey?" Rory breathed out excitedly.

The woman looked up startled. "Oh…umm…he's here somewhere." The nurse replied, looking around.

"Is someone able to locate him?" She asked bouncing on the balls of her feet, unable to contain her excitement.

"Well, who are you?" The nurse asked nervously, wondering who this crazy woman was.

Rory's face softened. "Sorry, I'm his wife." The woman dialed a number and immediately started talking.

"Hi, do you know the whereabouts of Dr. Dugrey? Oh okay, great. Thanks." She hung up the phone. "He just finished with a patient. He should be walking by here soon. You're welcome to take a seat while you wait." Rory nodded and took a seat on the dinosaur-decorated bench. She'd been sitting there for a few minutes when she saw Tristan briskly walk by and stop at the desk. He put down a file, picked up a new one, and briefly flipped through it. Just as he was about to walk away again, the receptionist got his attention.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?" He replied, looking back to the nurse.

"Someone's here to see you." She pointed at Rory. He looked surprised to see her. He put the folder back down.

"Thank you." He walked over to her, a smile on his face. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Are you busy?" She asked, biting her lip anxiously.

"A little. Why, what's up?" He asked curiously noticing how antsy she seemed.

"Is there somewhere a little more private?" She said softly, stepping slightly closer to him. He raised his eyebrows but led her to an empty exam room anyway. He turned to her.

"Well?" He prompted. She responded to him by placing a deep kiss fully on his lips. She pulled back to look at his surprised face.

"What was that for?" he searched her eyes. She displayed a huge smile on her face.

"We did it!" she said gleefully.

"Did…what?" He asked tentatively. She didn't answer right away. "Rory?" She licked her lips and took his hand in hers and placed it on her stomach.

"I'm…I'm pregnant." She waited for a moment as the information sunk in. A crazy grin appeared on his face.

"You're not kidding, right?" He said stepping closer, looking at his hand on her stomach.

"No, of course not! I just came from the doctors." She laughed. He nodded eagerly and then crushed his lips against hers. She gasped against his possession but wrapped her arms around his neck deepening the kiss. He pulled away slowly.

"All of those serious talks and you're not even infertile!" He scolded.

"It was a sore topic for me." She defended.

"I know. God, this is amazing." He gently kissed her again.

"I know, it's a dream come true." She sighed against his lips.

"It _is_ a dream. I'm fucking floating on cloud nine right now." He practically yelled. She giggled at his words and once again allowed him to suck her lungs free of oxygen with his kisses. She pulled away grinning.

"You have to get back to work." She breathed out.

"I know. Look buy some stuff for tonight, okay? Food, whatever you want. We'll celebrate when I get home." He said looking her in the eye.

"I know exactly what to get and it involves a store with the initials V.S. and a lot of pink." She let him think about it. He immediately grinned like a schoolboy.

"I can't wait, baby. We'll make it special." He said softly. She nodded and kissed him one more time.

"I'll see you at home." She said as they exited the room.

"Yes you will. Count on it." He said huskily, giving her his infamous smirk.

"Oh I am." She grinned and blew him a kiss before leaving. He licked his lips and shook his head, grinning from ear to ear. Whistling softly, he picked up the file again. The receptionist gave him a funny look.

"I'm going to be a daddy." Was all he said to her and continued working, a happy spirit to him the rest of the day.

"Babe? I'm home!" Tristan called as he shut the door and dropped his things. He didn't hear anything, and called her name again. Nothing. Walking through the house, he didn't see her anywhere.

He came to their bedroom and looked in, sweeping the room for her. He spotted her on the bed, sound asleep. Quietly walking over to her, he gently sat down on the bed. She shifted slightly and murmured something in her sleep. He came up behind her and pressed his front against her back. She immediately relaxed into him, turning around to face him. She snuggled into his chest and remained stilled. He wrapped his arm around her back and softly stroked her. Again she murmured something incoherent.

About ten minutes later she shot up, knocking Tristan's arm off her. He cocked his eyebrow at her abruptness. She tiredly looked at Tristan, not yet processing anything.

"You okay?" Tristan asked. She kept staring. She slowly rubbed her eyes, finally coming too.

"You're home." He nodded. "I was asleep."

"I think that was pretty obvious." He said chuckling.

She frowned. "Don't be mean to me. I'm carrying your child." She said grumpily.

"Mm that you are." He pulled her arm so she was lying back down. He leaned on his side and let his hand rub over her stomach.

"I didn't go to Victoria's Secret. I was going to, but I wanted to take a nap first. I guess I slept longer than I wanted to." Tristan smiled.

"It's fine. I know you like cotton better anyway."

"Ha, yes!" She nestled her head into his arm and sighed.

"Still tired?" He whispered.

"A little." She yawned.

"I'll let you get back to sleep." He gently patted her stomach. She stopped him before he could move.

"Don't go. Talk with me." She said with a little pout.

"Ror, you need sleep. For you _and_ the baby." He said seriously.

"You found out I was pregnant only a few hours ago and you want me to sleep?" She said incredulously.

"Yes…well…no. But I want you to be healthy." She smiled and placed her hand on his stubbly cheek.

"I will sleep, I promise. But right now…I just want to bask in the amazing-ness of this." He nodded in agreement and let the subject drop.

"How far?" He asked.

"Hmm?"

"How far along are you?" He asked again, breaking her from her trance.

"Three weeks, but I have an appointment for next Wednesday. I'd love it if you could come with me." He thought for a moment.

"Nothing important is coming to me, but I'll double check tomorrow." He answered. She kissed his bicep.

"I cried when I found out. The doctor thought I didn't want it and told me about adoption. But then I corrected him." She laughed.

"This baby is going to be _so_ wanted." He gazed down at her. "Are you alright?" He asked, noticing her somber expression.

"What if something happens?" She said softly.

"What would happen?" He said rubbing her back to comfort her.

"I don't know. I eat something wrong, I squash the baby…anything. Maybe this is a fluke. Maybe it happened by accident." Her voice sounded strained.

"As long as you don't eat tuna fish every meal, everyday the baby will be fine and you won't squash the baby. When you get bigger, you'll adapt naturally. And fine, it was a fluke…we try again and if nothing happens we go back to Plan B. _Now_…no more sadistic thoughts, okay?" He said in a mock stern voice.

"Okay." She agreed grudgingly. He grinned and kissed her forehead then her mouth.

"Besides with my devilish good looks and million dollar personality, the good thing about marrying me is that I'm a _doctor_. If something goes absolutely wrong, I'm here. I even know how to deliver a baby." He said proudly.

She felt silly for worrying, but it had been on her mind constantly ever since she met up with Tristan again. And despite his attempts on soothing her nerves on the children issue, she could never quite get past it. And on the day that he proposed to her, she was able to push it away, even if it was only for a few minutes.

"I haven't called my mom yet." She readjusted herself against him. His hand fell onto her stomach. Every so often he would move his hand in a circular motion.

"What are your mom and Luke doing tonight?" Her eyes lit up.

"You don't mind going over there tonight?" She asked, once again getting excited.

"Rory, this is one of the biggest things that could happen. You've shared everything with your mom. Plus it's not like we live in Boston anymore." He reminded her.

"That's true. Oh and we could do a baby themed movie night!" She replied bouncing up and down.

"I think Luke and I will opt for something a little more manly." He said chuckling at her giddiness.

She took great joy in this. "You can't handle it."

"And did you ever think I could?"

She shook her head, smiling widely. He chuckled and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" He asked, her, watching her stomach again.

"Nope. But I have a feeling. Do you prefer one over the other?"

He shook his vehemently. "Not at all. I'm just glad you're pregnant. Mm, I love that word. Pregnant." She felt her heart flutter at his words.

"I'm liking it a lot too." She threaded her fingers through his and looked at them peacefully. "I hope it's a boy." He gave her a surprised look.

"Really? You don't want to continue the 'Gilmore girls' tradition?"

"Oh, no I do. I just…I've always liked the idea of an older brother. I mean, I never had one, but I'd imagine it'd be nice."

"Well, then I hope we have a boy." He said happily. She searched his eyes and snuggled into his embrace. He grinned down at her and nuzzled her nose.

"But since you mentioned it, you're okay with continuing the Lorelai tradition?"

"If it's important to you, then absolutely. Plus, it's not like you go by that anyway. We could give the girl a nickname like Lily or Ella." She leaned up and kissed him softly. "Should we go over now?"

"Yea, I want you to get some sleep tonight."

"But tomorrow's Saturday!" She whined.

"Eh, eh, eh." He said, shaking a reprimanding finger at her.

"Fine. Let's go." She sat up. Thirty minutes later, they were standing outside Lorelai's house.

"What are you guys doing here? Aren't you supposed to be doing married couple things?" Lorelai asked, curiously.

"Mom!" Lorelai grinned cheekily and let them in.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking at her daughter and son-in-law, trying to figure out what they were hiding.

"Is Luke here?"

"LUKE! Come here." A few seconds later, he entered, looking surprised.

"Rory, Tristan." They both smiled.

"We have something to tell you." Rory started. Lorelai scrunched her face.

"This feels a lot like the time you told me you two were engaged but you're married so it's clearly not that. Oh Ed McMann called you and you won a million dollars!" Tristan laughed.

"Not exactly." He said.

"Spill."

"I'm uhh…" She grabbed Tristan's hand. "…We're…I'm pregnant."

"Oh my god!" Lorelai screeched so loud the other three clamped their hands onto their ears.

"I had a much smaller reaction. Rory and I just made out when _I_ heard." Tristan said, rubbing his ears. Rory elbowed him.

"I am so, so, so, so, so, SO happy for you guys. This is incredible." Lorelai continued on, clearly not hearing anything else they'd said.

"Congratulations. This is great." Luke said sincerely. "Come on by the diner tomorrow. Pies on me." No one mentioned that they were anyway.

"I think we will." Rory said, looking at Tristan.

"When did you find out?" Lorelai asked as they made their way to the living room.

"Earlier today. I went by the hospital and told Tristan, then went home and fell asleep. I woke up about an hour or so ago."

"Good girl!" Lorelai cheered.

"Do you know if it's a girl or boy?" Luke asked. They both shook their heads.

"I think we're going to wait." Tristan exclaimed.

"We are?" Rory was confused. Since when did they decide that?

"Well, at least a little longer."

"Like when the baby is born?" Rory scoffed.

"No, just not right now." Rory grinned. She didn't really care about any of this stuff. She was still focusing on the fact that these conversations were revolving around _her_. She rested her head on Tristan's shoulder.

"Any names?"

"Well Lorelai if it's a girl, but that's it." Tristan said, looking at Rory for confirmation. She nodded.

"Oh my baby is having a baby and naming it Lorelai like her grandma!"

"And like it's mom and like it's great-great grandma." Rory pointed out.

"Sshhh. I'm make believing. Learn how to do it, it'll come in handy when that thing is born." Lorelai said knowingly.

"So I presume you guys haven't eaten dinner." Luke asked.

"Nope, we wanted to see if you wanted to join us?" Rory answered.

"You mean the _three_ of you?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, mom." Rory said rolling her eyes.

"Well we'd love to. Do you want to go out somewhere or Luke I'm sure would whip something up."

"Yea, whatever you guys want." He agreed.

"Let's go out. I want to start on this one's eclectic taste." Rory said, rubbing her tummy.

"Ahh yes. You can never start too early." Lorelai agreed seriously. "The first meal I had when I found out I was pregnant with you was 4 spicy burritos, a taco, and an order of chili fries."

"What do we think? Indian? Thai?" Rory asked. Tristan looked unsure.

"I'd go for Indian. You can never start too early with Indian." Lorelai put in.

"Let's do it then!" The girls got up excitedly and walked towards the door as Luke and Tristan looked at each other, sighing.

"I hope my child doesn't turn out like them." Tristan said, good-naturedly.

"It's impossible to avoid. They got all the dominant genes." Luke sighed.

"Except their eyes." Tristan said.

"What?"

"Oh, blue eyes are recessive. But then again I have blue eyes so our baby most likely will too." He paused. "Crap, there goes that plan."

"Right." Luke said, laughing at Tristan. They joined the girls in the car. 3 hours later, and Tristan and Rory were walking back home.

"I think my mom is almost more excited than I am." She laughed.

"Yea, my ears are still ringing." He said, sticking a finger in his ear, then shaking his head. She lightly pushed him. Grinning he came back and wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her to him. When they got back to the house, Rory immediately went to sit down.

"Babe, if you're already this tired I don't know what you're going to do when you reach 6, 7, 8 months. Forget 9, you'll never stand up." He chuckled.

"I'll just have you carry me then." She answered cheekily.

"Ha, sure." He scoffed. But they both knew he would.

"I'm going upstairs for a little bit, okay? I'll be back down in a few minutes." She nodded. 10 minutes later, he came back downstairs and sat next to her.

"You smell smoky." She said, wrinkling her nose.

"I do?" He smelled himself.

"Hello, heightened sense of smell." She explained. He'd forgotten about that.

"Come on, I want to show you something." She begrudgingly stood up and followed him upstairs. She got into the bedroom and smelled the smoke. It was coming from the bathroom. Peering in, she gasped.

"Oh my god." She covered her mouth and turned to him. There were aromatherapy candles _everywhere_. On the large Jacuzzi bath ledge, on the sink, on top of the toilet…everywhere. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I got you some bubble baths too. You've been antsy for a while, and you always take baths when you can't focus. I just figured it might be nice." He said, shrugging. She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck, pulling herself up to him.

"Thank you." She pulled his head down, kissing him gently. "What are you going to do?"

"Catch up on some reading. When you get out, I'll give you a massage." He said, smiling down at her. Her eyes lit up and she nodded, kissing him again and again. She pulled out of his arms and entered the bathroom, shutting the door. He smiled and sat on the bed, picking up a book. He heard the water start to run. He didn't hear the water turn off. He was finished reading two pages when he heard the door open. Looking up, he saw Rory standing there in a robe and her hair clipped up.

"You don't look nearly as relaxed as you should. Get back in there." He stated. She shook her head.

"Join me." He shot her a look.

"I don't think that'll be a very relaxing bath." He scoffed, turning back to his book. She walked towards him and climbed onto the bed, settling next to him. She tried pulling him, but when that didn't work, she swung her leg over making sure he caught a glimpse of her naked body underneath the robe. He groaned as she straddled him. He put his book down and placed his hands on her hips. "What are you doing, baby?" He asked, huskily.

"Take a bath with me." She whispered.

"I'll join you in a bit." He said trying to resist.

"No, now." She said sternly. When he didn't make any motion to move, she rubbed her hands along his chest and settled her hands on the bottom of his shirt. She pushed the material up slightly and scraped his stomach with her nail. She felt him harden under her.

"What are you doing?" He repeated, barely holding back a grown. She leaned forward and placed her lips on his. She lifted her hips and took one of Tristan's hands in hers and guided it under her robe. He felt something warm and wet. He hardened completely and pulled his hand away. His breath was ragged.

"What's wrong?" She asked, noticing his apprehension.

"Why won't you take a bath?" He asked, avoiding the question.

"Because, I'm pregnant with your baby. I want to do something with _you_. Why won't you take a bath with me?" He sighed and nodded.

"Alright." She grinned and got off of him as he scooted off the bed.

"Let me help." As he started to take off his shirt, Rory went to work on his pants. She stopped and his pants fell to the ground from the weight of his belt. She glanced at his boxers hanging low on his hips. She took his hand in hers and placed it on her robe-clad stomach.

"I know you want to touch me, Tristan. Don't be afraid. The doctor said it was fine and healthy for me to have sex." She said smiling at him. He swallowed. She let go of his hand and untied the sash of her robe. She let it open, exposing her naked body to him.

He tentatively rubbed her shoulders underneath the robe and pushed it off letting it land on the floor with a 'woosh'. "It's okay. I'm pregnant, not disabled." She smiled at him, encouraging him. She came to stand right in front of him, and leaned up, placing one hand on his chest. He stared into her eyes. Going on her tiptoes, she gently touched his lips with hers. He sighed against her lips and brought her closer, giving in. She couldn't help but smile against him. She took her other hand and cupped him through his boxers.

"Oh god." He breathed into the crook of her neck. She pushed down his boxers. When they were kicked to the side he cupped her ass and pulled her against him. She moaned as his penis rubbed against her clit. She moved her hips, increasing friction. He took hold of her leg and wrapped it around his waist, bucking against her. With each push, her head moved.

"Almost." She breathed, holding in her squeaks. Moving his hand in between them, he teased her opening. Jamming a finger into her, she took a deep intake of air and slumped against him in small release. He held her up and put her leg down. He walked backwards and laid her down on the bed, massaging the insides of her legs. He could see her middle glistening, begging for full release. As he massaged, she opened her legs wider.

"That's it baby." Once her legs were open wide enough, he ran his hands up over her hip bones and cupped her breasts before placing each hand on either side of her head. He leaned down. "Just let go. I want to hear you scream my name, no inhibitions." She nodded weakly, lifting her leg and wrapped it around him, bringing him closer to her.

He kissed her neck, jaw, cheek, forehead, temple, nose, chin and the finally her lips. She arched against him wrapping her arms around his neck and keeping him close to her. She felt him rub against her as he shifted. He reached his hand down and stroked her clit, immediately causing her to need release. He stretched her with his two fingers and before he fully removed them, he slid himself into her hard.

"Uhhhh." She cried with each thrust, each time getting louder. He could feel her walls starting to tremor so he slowed down his pace, riding in and out of her smoothly, and hitting each wall as he pulled out.

"Harder." She panted as her head rolled back.

"Patience, it'll come." She turned her head in agony as she remained on the brink. She bucked against him, but the way they were positioned it did barely anything. He slowed to a stop and reached behind Rory's head to grab a pillow. She looked at it through hooded eyes confused.

"Lift up." He whispered, almost there himself. She did as she was told and lifted her hips as he put a pillow under her butt putting her hips at an angle. He continued thrusting at his slow pace causing greater friction for Rory. "How does that feel? Good?" She nodded quickly rolling her head in every direction hoping it would help the ache between her legs. He leaned up farther and pulled out almost completely before plunging himself into her, fast and hard. With each pound she gasped and felt herself getting wetter helping his strokes lubricate and please her.

"Please, just get me there." She whimpered. He continued his hard long strokes and caught her lips in his. He bit her lip and swirled his hips as he drove into her. That did it as he came in her with her falling right behind him. He rubbed her clit to help her ride out the waves.

"Tristan." Her eyes rolled back into her head as the pleasure consumed her. He pulled out of her when he had the energy and rolled beside her. Her first movement was her arm. Slowly her body moved as she turned to him. Their breathing was still heavy as she scooted near him and kissed his chest, tasting his sweat.

"Ready for a bath?" He asked, smiling. She nodded and pulled him up. He followed her in and saw that the bath wasn't filled up. She turned on the water and stepped in, immediately feeling the warmth of new water. He followed her in and watched as she squirted come of the bubble bath into the water by the spigot. He sat down pulling her with him. She settled herself between his legs and leaned against his chest. They remained in silence as the rest of the water filled up. She leaned forward and turned off the water, creating a smooth calm of lapping water and the smell of candles mixed with the matching bath scent. She turned onto her side so she could face him. She kissed his chest and looked at him.

"Thank you." She sighed.

"For what? Fucking you?" He grinned. She blushed. "It was my pleasure. _Literally_."

"Well thank you for that. But I meant for getting me pregnant." She said in mock irritation. He gave her a look and laughed.

"Why are you thanking me? The idea was that we would have sex until you got pregnant." He said cocking an eyebrow.

"I know, but thank you for always soothing my fears." She replied honestly.

"Anytime. Now you can't say anything, though. With the amount that you talked about this, it sure sounded like it was the only thing you needed and then you'd be fully content with life."

"It is. I don't want anything else. Well, there was a pink fuzzy lamp shade I wanted…"

"No." He said immediately.

"Please? It's so pink and fuzzy!" She whined.

"Absolutely not. The last pink fuzzy thing you got was that chair and it broke the first time someone sat in it. With our luck, the thing will catch fire and burn down the house." He said, recalling the events of that day.

"Fine, no pink fuzzy lamp shade." She pouted.

_4 or so years later_

"She really is beautiful, Rory." Winnie said. Rory beamed as the two of them stared at the 7-month-old baby in her crib.

"Thanks." Winnie gave Rory a quick hug and they walked out of her room. Rory picked up the baby monitor and clipped it to her pants. They entered the living room to see Tristan, Rob, Nick, Aidan, and Trevor on the floor. Trevor was sitting on Tristan's lap. Rory smiled at them and sat down next to Tristan.

"Mommy!" Trevor cheered and scooted off of Tristan's lap and onto Rory's.

"Looks like he likes me better." Rory grinned and Tristan scoffed. Rob looked at Winnie and then to Nick who was yawning.

"Hey I think it's time to go. It's been a long day for these two."

"Yea, Trevor's nap was supposed to be an hour ago." Rory agreed.

"No!" Trevor yelled.

"Shh, bud. You'll wake your sister." Rory held him against her breathing in his Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo. Everyone stood up, getting the creases out of their pants.

"Thanks for having us, guys. We know you have a lot on your plate, but it was great seeing you. And your children are…wow. Well, best looking children—besides my own of course." Rory and Tristan laughed.

"Thanks for coming." Rory and Winnie hugged tightly while Rob and Tristan shook hands. They switched husbands. Winnie hugged Tristan and Rory hugged Rob. Then Rory went to her knees and hugged Nick and Aidan.

"It was good seeing you guys." Getting back up, she hugged Winnie again. Soon after, they left. Tristan shut the door and backed Rory up against it. He kissed her softly.

"Eww." They separated to see Trevor standing there sticking out his tongue in disgust. They smiled.

"I've wanted to do that all day." He looked to Trevor. "As for you, I think it's time for a nap."

"No!" He protested.

"Yes!" And before the little boy could run away, Tristan captured him in his arms. "Gotcha!" Rory laughed as she watched them leave to the bedrooms. She started cleaning up the dishes and started rinsing them. She just finished loading the dishwasher when she felt arms enclose her and a head resting on her shoulder. Washing her sudsy hands off, she dried them and turned around to face him.

"It was nice seeing them." She said, smiling. He nodded, not listening to her. "What are you doing?"

"You, have been jumpy all day." He said, looking into her eyes. She avoided his gaze.

"Have not. Just tired." She weaseled out of his grip and started fixing up the kitchen.

"Stop. We can do that later. Come relax with me." He whined. "The kids are napping and the house is quiet." He ended in a whisper. Rolling her eyes she allowed him to pull her to the sofa. They sat down, her resting against him.

"Today was nice. I think I need to do stuff like that more. Between Trevor and Lily, I barely leave the house. Either I'm trying to occupy Trevor or Lily needs another feeding." She grumbled. She felt his chest vibrate with laughter.

"Either you're complaining because you can't have children or you're complaining because you have children." He said, sweetly.

"I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that sometimes I need to get out and it's hard with two young kids." She stated calmly.

"Well you're almost done breastfeeding Lily." He replied.

"True, so then I'll be able to go into the public and not worry about taking my boob out when she gets hungry." He squeezed her against him, and kissed her neck. She slumped.

"I call what you're doing 'pouty', not tired." She bit her lip.

"It's not over." She whispered.

"What's not?"

"This." She gestured around herself. "In total I'll be homebound for about 8 years. At least five at this point."

"What? No, Lily's going to start pre-k in just over two years. You'll be able to go part-time at least by then."

"I was wrong. When I said that it didn't matter a month ago, I was wrong." He thought back to a month ago.

"These guessing games get boring, Ror." He sighed.

"Don't say anything until I'm done, okay?" He nodded. "You asked me earlier where I was today and I said I was with my mom. Well, Trevor was. I went with Lily to the doctors." She took a breath. "God, I couldn't talk when I thought I couldn't have kids and now I can't talk when I know I can. Tristan, I'm pregnant again." She waited for him to say something. "You can say something now."

"So what are we going to do about it?" He asked, seriously.

"Well I umm, have it." She looked at him confused.

"We decided on two, Rory." He said, looking at her.

"I know, but sometimes…" She said, words failing her once more.

"Sometimes, what?" He asked.

"Sometimes the condom breaks, or it happens." She replied sheepishly.

"No." He stated firmly. Her eyes went wide.

"You want me to…oh my god." She covered her mouth. She was about to pull away from him when he started laughing. "What's wrong with you?" She demanded, shocked.

"Rory, I was joking." He reached for her. "You just made it seem like I would hate you or something, so I pretended to." She rolled her eyes.

"You're an ass. So you're okay with this?" Her heart was beating rapidly.

"I'm more than okay. And you're right. Things happen, so what? You seriously thought I would ask you to get an abortion?" He asked, a bit surprised.

"Well, no, but you just looked so serious." She tried to explain, but ended up sighing. "Don't do that again." She scolded him. He smiled and shook his head.

"So you said a month ago you were wrong. About what?"

"Remember? The condom broke and I didn't think it matter?" He nodded in comprehension.

"Wow, another baby." He looked up dreamily. Rory smiled at him, despite her previous scare.

"You don't sound surprised." She looked at him skeptically.

"Honestly? I'm not. I had my suspicions." He said with a shrug.

"How?" She asked curiously.

"Babe, I'm a doctor. I'm trained to diagnose thousands of things off of very few symptoms. Pregnancy just happens to be one of those easily detectable ones. And since you're a woman, that's one of the first things we have to think about. That would be the first question I would ask you: Is there any chance you're pregnant? You know how observant I am."

"I don't like you." She growled. Sometimes she really wanted to hate him, but she never could. He laughed.

"I'm sorry I took away your thunder." He said, trying to placate her.

"Yea, yea. It's okay. Why didn't you say anything to me? You must have been curious."

"Oh you mean 'looking in trash cans for pregnancy tests' curious? Yea, I was. But I figured if you were wondering it yourself you would tell me. And you did. A little later than I thought compared to when you told me about Lily, but you did." She took his hand in hers and kissed it.

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"You looked at me." He answered honestly. Her heart melted. She ran her hand through his hair and pulled him towards her in a searing kiss. She pulled back and looked outside.

"To think this all started with my grandfather dying." She laughed somberly.

"Fate, baby."

"In the least awful way possible, I'm glad my grandfather passed away, because I found you again."

"And I, you."

"What should we name this baby?"

"Do you know the sex?"

"No, but I have a feeling it's a girl." He smiled. She'd been right the first two times.

"Any girls names?"

"I'm thinking of something." She said playfully with a smile.

"Okay…" He prompted her.

"I just think with our history, we should name her Mary." A smile overwhelmed his face.

"It's perfect." He kissed her softly and held her close.

They remained in each other's arms for a while longer before Lily woke up. However bumpy the ride was to get there, they did and they did it with courage.

Seven and a half months later, a baby girl was born. Her name was Mary. As the newly extended family gathered around Rory in the hospital bed, all she could think about was that cloud. The one that sometimes has the ability to make things gray, gloomy and sad. However, once that cloud dissipates, you can see the beautiful bright blue sky once again. Sometimes, the cloud even adds that extra element to make things perfect, to make things more picturesque.

But when the cloud is gone, you can see the rawness of the heart and vulnerability. Then the cloud comes back and with it, it brings something else. Fate, maybe? Maybe even a chance for a new start. You learn how to love and how to deal with your problems until they cease to exist.

Or maybe that cloud brings someone special with it. Someone who indirectly shows you what you have right in front of you. They help you realize the truth and most of all, what's right there in front of you is what you desire most of all.

So from then on, the cloud seemed to stick. Keeping the family padded and protected from the horrors of the world. Of course they had they're ups and downs, but there always seemed to be a quick bounce back.

There was always something about that Cloud Nine. They decided to name it, "Everlasting Cloud Nine."

The End

**A/N: 23 Chapters later and I am FINISHED! Blahhhh!! I'm SOOO happy. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much I enjoyed writing it! Thank you to everyone who stuck by me the whole time and never gave up on this story! You're all quite divine! Much love, Kiki.**

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**If you're not on this list: you either 1) didn't review, or 2) I made a booboo when cutting and pasting. Sorry about that!**

**P.S. Not sure when other stories will be done/updated, but be patient! I'm working on an extremely long one-parter that I hope will be done in the next couple of weeks. I think you guys will like it. Thanks again, MWAH!**


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